


Loner the Brave

by futurevampiress



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Fluff, Follows the film, Past family, Sixth Wife, and then after, mentions of rape and violence, please have mercy on me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-03 19:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17289893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/futurevampiress/pseuds/futurevampiress
Summary: The Wasteland was all she ever really knew. Instinct molded into her bones, and training fused with her muscles. She had a hard life, and wanted nothing more than to settle down. But poor luck and chance would take that all away.





	1. Survive

**Author's Note:**

> This writing style was different for me and therefore a bit of a challenge. But I tried! Hopefully everything flows together well and I can deliver to my needs and everyone else's!
> 
> Please, enjoy!!

_Why are you hurting these people?_

_It’s the oil, stupid._

_Oil wars._

_We are killing for guzzoline._

_The world is running out of water._

_Now there’s the water wars._

_Mankind has gone rogue, terrorizing itself._

_Thermonuclear skirmish._

_The earth is sour._

_Our bones are poisoned._

Barren wasteland. Rotten. Torrid. Corrupt.

That was all she knew from as long as she could remember. The apocalypse began brewing long before she was born, molding itself from the hands of the most powerful and greediest of corporations. Consumption and hoarding of the earth’s resources was catching up with the public, leaving them in poverty and fighting to survive. Crime was on the rise, energy was being depleted, and the unluckiest were left with scraps from the bottom of the barrel. The world plunged itself into despair from refusing to learn from past mistakes.

It wasn’t exactly every couple’s plan to decide to conceive, considering the state of the earth, but every now and then, one would try and succeed. She was born into hell, but it did not feel like that for her first five years. She was healthy, weighing in at seven pounds five ounces, and didn’t have a thing wrong with her. A rare phenomenon, considering the numerous diseases that contaminated the people during the decline of the planet. But she was like winning the jackpot on a lottery ticket.

Delivered in an abandoned salon surrounded by her remaining relatives, she received the amount of medical attention an infant would have in the desert: next to none. She was cleaned up and wrapped in a scrubby blanket, then placed in a crib. Life passed them by. One year turned into two and then five. She would have small, memorable moments of peace, whether it be propelling herself on a swing, sitting in a tree, or simply watching the sunset. Life was kind for a time, and she ignored the harsh reality of living in an uninhabitable planet.

But soon enough, it came crashing down on her.

At eleven years old, she lost her entire family to bad luck. It was a story most would hear around those days: there was a rumour traveling through the Wasteland regarding a place of clean water and vast food supplies. And like any other family in search of a better life, they pursued it. Unfortunately, along the way, they were ambushed by a group of raggedy, violent men, seeking to eliminate the competition. And they won.

Her entire family was kidnapped and taken to a warehouse where her mother was beaten and raped, while her father was tortured and exsanguinated. Her uncle was used as a dartboard before being tied up and left to burn out in the cruel flames of the sun. Her cousin was beaten to death, and her aunt was sadistically torn open with a makeshift scalpel. And as for her? Well. She was treated as any other kidnapped child in the desert: beaten, molested, and mentally broken. How she managed to escape amongst all the horror, she didn’t know. But she did it. Perhaps it was her small, agile body that allowed her to creep through the slimmest of crevices. Or maybe it was her stealthy feet that granted her the talent of moving as swiftly and quietly as the wind. How she got out didn’t matter, however. All she knew was that she had to get away.

And they never found her again.

She spent three weeks wandering in the desert, surviving by just getting by. The tiniest trickles of water, insects, and anything that even looked remotely edible. She was on the brink of total mental and physical collapse before being found by scavengers. They gave her medicine, food, and a small supply of water from their secret well. When she woke and saw strange faces peering down at her, she scrambled away until her back hit the wall. She was in some type of cavern, carved out from the rocks. The men and women meant her no harm. It would take her a month before she felt safe with the foreign people.

She hardly spoke a word. Her trauma from being abused and seeing her family slaughtered rendered her mute for a long time. She never spoke about her past, nor saw the need to. The world was perfectly fine with showing her just how forbidding it could be in the scarce moments of tranquility. She distanced herself from the rest of her new family, rejecting the desperate need to attach to them emotionally. She wanted to voice her uncomfortableness when being instructed in the art of firearms and improvising weapons, but she soon began to realize her new way of life, and had to adapt to it. She was trained to arm, disarm, defend, strike, and disorient. Even at the meager age of eleven, she grew up to be gritty and relentless.

One of the women took notice of her muteness. The woman didn’t question it, but figured that she might help her make it easier to communicate with everyone without gurgling or making vague hand gestures. It was a scarce language in the Wasteland, but she took her aside and taught her sign language. Adamant at first, she grew to love creating full sentences with just her hands. It was one more thing that shaped her into who she would become.

And it was in her years of voluntary silence and hard work that she became the sharpshooter of the family, scaring off potential threats and shooting down dinner if one ever came flying by. Standing at five-foot-eleven, she was the tallest and most threatening of them all, making it easy for her to defend and attack when the moment arose. Her intelligence was unrivaled by most, giving her the cutting edge she needed to protect her secondary family. She created her own grenades from scraps of metal and leftover chemical compounds whenever she got the chance. An added bonus was her beauty, completing her to be a triple threat: beautiful, intelligent, and threatening.

Her family didn’t stray too far from their cave, but every now and then she would go out and scavenge with Looter, the most skilled thief the family had. Hence his name. He would loot whatever the abandoned building had, and she would be his cover. Together, the two of them made a good team. Despite only communicating through grunts, nods, and hand gestures, Looter found her to be quite extraordinary.

She fashioned herself with the necessary clothing to appear dangerous, yet still be herself. Tattered laced-up combat boots gave her the balance and necessary strength to stay steady and deliver multiple blows. Grey trousers with multiple pockets faired well with carrying her personal weapons and blended in well with her pointed knee pads. Comfortable for kneeling and contributing in battle, one knee to the face deals a deadly blow. An off-white U-neck, arm brace, red armband, and fingerless combat gloves gave her the look she wanted: to be perceived as someone with false confidence. An image of someone pushing to be a leader, when in reality is a loyal follower, willing to sink to the lowest to protect what they love. Topped off with a black bandana and aviator goggles, she fit right in with her group of misfits.

Looter, Scabbers, Leaf, Feta, Venus, and a young girl named Glory. That was her new family. The lot of them looked similar: malnourished, dirty, and desperate. Their personalities were vastly different, however.

Looter had a white, scruffy beard to match the cotton ball mess on his head. He sported a black headband, paired with a black cardigan and pants. His boots were modified with daggers at the point to make for a quick kill with a simple kick. He was old, nearing his sixties, but he would never go down without a fight. Despite the everyday melancholy, he was the one who smiled the most. And it made the days a little more bearable.

Scabbers was a crazy looking fellow. He fashioned two bandoliers over his button-up vest and his hair was always in disarray. His voice was gruff and scratchy, and his nails stubby and grimy. It wasn’t his filthy exterior that drove people away, no. It was the permanent sneer on his face that made him out to be quite eccentric to an outsider. But then again, what was classified as eccentric during the apocalypse?

Leaf was a paranoid woman. Her eyes were sunken in, her hair an unruly mess, and always had a look of fright. She feared everything and everyone in the unforgiving desert, save for the people she lived with. Her left hand shook impulsively each time a member of her family left the cave to search for dinner. At times they had to go days without food in fear of being sought out from being seen. That was when her tremors were the worst. But a quiet, old song sung by Feta would help put her in a state of ease.

Feta seemed like an average young adult, equipped with his own assault rifle and juice that he dubbed “Liquid Life”, which gave him the energy of a ten-year-old boy on a sugar rush. He got his name from his potent, cheesy stench that never seemed to go away, no matter how often he bathed himself (which was once a month). He usually stood post with Venus, keeping a watchful eye on the horizon, and the profile of her face.

Venus was just hitting her thirties. She was strong, brave, and everything a woman in the Wasteland should be, in order to survive. She was the mother figure to the entire group, and provided much needed guidance, which was greatly appreciated. She taught the newcomer sign language, which gave her another sense of purpose in the Wasteland. She was immensely protective, and her entire world revolved around one thing: her daughter, Glory.

Glory had the brightest eyes and the shyest demeanour. High hopes were placed upon her, as she had many choices to become a Vulture, a Sharpshooter, a Forger, a Looter, or maybe even a Black Thumb. She showed little to zero interest in the various occupations, as her only main focus was to survive.

Life at that moment could almost be described as serene. They had a supply of clean water, a sack of potatoes, weapons, fire, and the comfort of each other’s presence. They carried out a daily routine, worked in pairs, and protected each other to the death. Any hardships that came their way, they could handle. Enemies, disease, hunger; they could do it all. Nothing came as a surprise to them anymore.

Until an unexpected man came across their path.

She was perched upon the lookout post, squinting through her scope, keeping watch over the territory. In those parts it was extremely easy to spot something in the distance, even if that something was thought to be a mirage. But what she saw was no illusion. Traveling at full speed was a battered up car, with black smoke coming out of the exposed engine. She tapped Looter sitting next to her, and let him see what was coming for them.

“Better tell the rat pack,” he said.

They climbed down together and Looter explained the situation. They all agreed to confront the foreigner, so she grabbed her gun along with Looter, Scabbers, and Feta, and stood outside in a steady line, pointing them directly at the car. None of them were going to shoot unless the person behind the wheel distinguished themselves as a threat. Fortunately, the car came to a stop a few meters away. But the danger still loomed in the air. The person knew they couldn’t outmatch an armed group of people, so he stepped out of the car and walked forward with his hands at his sides.

She gave Looter a side-glance and a nod, then lowered herself to the ground, crouching to get a different aim on the stranger. Looter approached the man cautiously, anticipating a confrontation with him. But he never got one. Instead, the man raised his hands higher in defeat and gazed upon her, Scabbers, and Feta. Looter motioned for the man to get on his knees, then swung his gun around his back while he patted him down. He hauled him to his feet when he deemed him safe, and yodeled to the rest of the group to come out of hiding. One by one, Venus, Leaf, and Glory came out from behind the rocks to see their new visitor.

Feta and Scabbers lowered their weapons, but she kept hers aimed on him, even though everyone else was curious and somewhat accepting of the newcomer. She didn’t know if this was his ploy to play the poor, innocent, wandering man before killing and robbing them in their sleep. She wondered if that is what her family thought of her when they found her: beaten and broken, only to steal their food and water before slaughtering them without blinking. She may have been a girl at the time, but it was best to expect the unexpected. They didn’t have any doubts about her then, but that didn’t mean that she shared the same sympathy.

She learned not to judge by appearances, but the man’s dry, unkempt hair and overgrown beard didn’t exactly scream “safe” to her. He wore multiple layers which made him appear larger and suspicious. It made more room for concealing small knives, but if Looter cleared him, then he wasn’t carrying any. And she trusted his judgement. She stood up straight once more.

They led him inside the cave, his hands still in the air since she kept her sniper rifle trained on him. Looter told her it was all right, and to calm down. She flicked her eyes from the man to Looter, to the man again. If he wanted to attack, then he would have done so already. Slowly, she lowered her weapon, keeping her eyes on him as she walked around the common area to sit down. She was not going to let him out of her sight.

Days became weeks, and little by little, she began to trust him. He spoke more than she ever did, but also communicated through grunts and gestures at times. She hardly spent time with him, but learned a lot about him from listening to the small conversations he would have with everyone, mainly Looter and Feta.

His name was Max Rockatansky, and he used to be a cop. He’d been wandering the Wasteland just like everyone else, his only instinct to survive. Anyone could relate to that; she felt it everyday. Being nineteen was supposed to be a time of joy and experiencing life in the best ways possible, like going to parties, volunteering, being with friends, and just having a good time in general, like in the old world. But the toxicity of men forcibly drove that away.

He had ample opportunities to steal and kill and drive away in his shabby looking Ford. But he did not. He proved himself to be quite useful, especially when he helped Scabbers collect food. He was a good shot, but not as good as her, which she secretly took pleasure in. She only ever smiled for Glory, and loved that she would always smile back. But it irked her that Glory had taken a liking to Max. He was practically part of the family, and she liked his funny hairstyle and fluffy beard. He fit right in. She couldn’t take away her newfound happiness, so she let her have her fun.

The first night she was alone with Max was on the lookout post. She had taken her nightly position, rifle in hand, back against the rocks. Besides Max’s arrival, nothing spectacular had happened. So instead of keeping watch, she gazed at the stars. She had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Max’s presence until he was right beside her. She had never been caught so off-guard before, and nearly shot him at point-blank range. Her face softened and she lowered her rifle when she saw who it was, placing it in her lap like before. She gave him a once-over before stargazing once more.

Neither of them said anything to each other. They didn’t need to. Max settled himself in until he was comfortable, and joined her in being fascinated with the beauty and wonder of the galaxy above. It was one of the most peaceful nights of her life. And one of her most treasured memories with Max.

His presence was warm, comforting, and reassuring. She felt safe around him, as did everyone else. He became the glue that kept them together, the burning light that would never go out, no matter how tenacious the blow. He didn’t smile much, nor speak to the same extent. He didn’t have much to offer except his old cop instincts and his car, but despite that, he was a valuable friend that she had cherished. He even learned some of her mannerisms, which he had brought up to her. How she rubbed her hands together when she was anxious, or how she crouched to the ground when threatened or afraid. She simply gave him an eyebrow raise and a small smirk.

Interestingly enough, she never signed around him. That was something that she wanted to keep between her and her family. Venus taught Glory first how to sign, so the main conversations she had were between Glory and herself. Glory could speak as well as any other eight-year-old, but she liked to include her. It truly made her happy that Glory would make the effort to share stories with her. It was a shame that Max wasn’t included, but she wanted it that way.

She wished she could have verbally spoken with Max at least once, though. Another remarkable moment for her to remember until the day she died.

Unfortunately, she never got the chance.

The assault was sudden and quick. The vehicles came from the west. There were about seven of them, huge and weaponized and designed to kill. They could be heard from a mile away, thanks to the deafening sound of their engines rumbling and revving towards them. But even the discernable warning did not give everyone enough time to escape.

Max told to everyone to carry what they could, whether it be guns, food, water, supplies, or memorabilia, and run. As fast as they could to his car. They all bundled inside, while she rode on top, her rifle in hand. She aimed and tried to take them out, but the terrain didn’t allow for a smooth ride. She managed to hit three out of ten targets, which was pathetic by her standards. She pounded her fist on top of the car to warn Max and to get him to go faster. But his poor Interceptor was no match for their far superior machinery.

Max’s car was clipped from the back, sending him skidding sideways. She flew off the roof of the car, her rifle thrown from her hands. Max’s car rolled, and every passenger was flung out from the inside. She couldn’t move, could barely breathe. She reached her arm out to them, hoping that one of them would reach out and grab her hand. But they were too far away, too injured to move. Her side was aching, and her heart was pounding. She cried out painfully as she watched Venus clutching Glory in her arms as they both got run down by a dune buggy five times their size.

Next was Scabbers, Looter, then Feta. With each cruel, excruciating death, she cried harder and screamed louder. Max managed to snag every last man that had come along. Except for one. The last man standing clocked Max good in the head, reducing him to a lump in the dirt. Max laid there helplessly, his eyes fluttering closed as he watched him strike her in the head, drag her body back to his car, and drive away.

It was the most regrettable moment of his life. He promised them he’d help them, protect them, be there for them so they’d never be alone. So _he_ would never be alone.

Over and over again, he tried to help those who needed it most, whoever he came across, and he only let them down. He let _himself_ down.

And so, the cycle continued.

He woke up, hours later, his face dirtied with blood. He had a wobble in his step, and despite his injuries, made the effort to dig graves for those who he could not protect. Six graves in all, save one for her who was stolen away. He gave them one last apology before climbing back into his precious Interceptor, glancing in the rear-view mirror, and driving away.

It would be bad luck and a twinge of fate that would reconnect him with his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used the people from Max's memories as inspiration for the family of scavengers. You can see them at the beginning of Fury Road when he has periodic flashbacks as he's running away from the War Boys.


	2. Immortan's Citadel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wives fashioned her with a new name, and she learned just what it meant to be a wife of Immortan Joe.

 She woke up with smooth skin and a stitched forehead. She could barely lift a finger from how heavy her body felt to her. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to die. She had never felt as out of place as she did right then.

She was surrounded by rock. It felt familiar for a moment before she realized she was not at home. She was somewhere else. The room was dark, blank, save for a few candle lights and another bed. There were books strewn about on a table top, a lamp next to it. She looked down at herself, and found warm, clean blankets covering her naked body. She sat up slowly, cautiously, clutching the sheets to her chest. She didn’t see, nor hear anybody else in the place. It was eerily silent.

Her neck burned with irritation. She furrowed her brows and gingerly glided her fingers over the still healing flesh of Immortan Joe’s insignia. She hissed and pulled her hand back. The pain would subside, but the scar would remain. Swallowing thickly, she took a steady breath, and braced herself for what she was about to find.

She carefully got out of bed, wrapping the sheets tightly around her body. She quietly stepped out into the open. There wasn’t much to see. There was an old grand piano surrounded by piles and piles of old, musty books. Whether or not they have been read, she didn’t know. In fact, she didn’t even know the last time she read a book. She wondered what it would be like to experience the world of literature again.

There was also a chalkboard, with five chairs adjacent to one another. In the floor was a sunk-in water hole, with a tail that extended outside, possibly to where the water source was. She didn’t know if it was for drinking or bathing, but the latter seemed to make more sense. Three seating pillows were placed on the rim. Up above was a huge glass ceiling, showcasing the outside world and other rock structures. A single chandelier hung from the iron bars. A staircase led up to the second level, a small garden lining the windows and in between walls. The enclosure seemed to have no entry or exit, which frightened her. But there was a circular tunnel carved out from the wall that resembled an entry route. She gulped.

She took small steps forward, flitting her eyes all around her. She was used to the quiet, but this silence felt heavy, looming. She didn’t like it. She hesitantly stepped up inside the tunnel, pressing her palm against the wall. She reached her arm out to see if anything would open, and almost immediately there was a loud clanking sound. The sudden noise frightened her backwards, and she tripped over the sheets. She scrambled back and grunted when she hit the floor from the step-up. She pushed herself back when she saw multiple people file in. Nearly missing the water hole, she clambered to her feet, but tripped again, falling onto a pile of books.

When she saw a group of young women walk inside, she felt safe for a split second before hiding her face under the sheets. She closed in on herself, hoping the women would bypass her and ignore her presence. But they did not.

One of them stepped forward, and gently placed her hand on her shoulder. She panicked and tried to crawl away, but the woman shushed her quietly and tried to calm her down.

“Shh, shh. It’s all right, it’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you.”

She peeked out from behind the sheets, and saw a red-haired woman with aviator goggles on her head. They looked similar to what she used to have.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

She didn’t answer. She just glanced behind the redhead, at the other women. And one of them was clearly pregnant. Standing behind them was an old, wrinkly woman with writing inked all over her body. And next to her was a tall, intimidating woman with a shaved head and black grime covering half of her face. But the most striking thing about her was her mechanical arm.

“She’ll be checked by Organic tomorrow,” the woman said. “Make sure she’s awake.”

And with that, she turned around and left, shutting the giant door behind her, locking it securely. The older woman stepped forward and shooed the redhead away. She grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet, surprisingly knocking the wind out of her.

“I’m Miss Giddy, child,” she said. “You’ll be staying here from now on with the other girls. Can you tell me your name?”

She furrowed her brows, frantically trying to comprehend the situation. Why were there other young women there? Why was one of them pregnant? Why was she so clean? Why was her hair washed? Why wasn’t she wearing any clothes? And most importantly, how did she get there? Her inner crisis and inability to speak did not surprise Miss Giddy.

“We’ll think of a name for you after,” she said. “For now, let’s get you covered up. Girls, get her something to eat.”

The other women obediently followed Miss Giddy’s orders, two of them disappearing up the stairs. Miss Giddy brought her back into the bedroom, and sat her down on the mattress. She sat with her knees against her chest, and bore her eyes into the sheets.

“It will be a hard road for you, child,” Miss Giddy said, not planning to sugar coat. “You’ll have food, and water, but there is horror that lays beyond that door. I cannot protect you from that, neither can Furiosa.” Her eyes snapped up at the mention of Furiosa’s name. “Furiosa is the one assigned with protecting you girls. She’s an elite Imperator of the Citadel, providing us with guzzoline and ammunition from supply runs. She’s a kind woman at heart. Do not take her attitude the wrong way.”

Miss Giddy turned around to other bed and picked up some kind of white fabric, and held it up to her. She twirled it left and right, up and down, trying to figure out a style for her to wear. She pursed her lips in thought.

“What do you think, dear? What would you be most comfortable in? What’s a nice look for you?”

Staring at the thin, lanky piece of fabric, she sat up straight, then looked at Miss Giddy as she glided her palm down the length of both her arms.

“Long sleeves?”

She nodded.

“I don’t know, dear,” Miss Giddy said, clicking her tongue. “That’s not really–“

She interrupted her objection by narrowing her eyes and this time slapping her palms down her arms aggressively. Miss Giddy nodded while smiling at her.

“Alright then,” she agreed. “Long sleeves. And–“

She hovered her hands by her ears, and made a motion as if to pull a hood on top of her head. Miss Giddy understood.

“A hood as well?” She nodded. “I can do that. And for bottoms, I’m assuming… pants?”

She smiled widely, nodding vigorously. Miss Giddy grinned back at her, and grabbed her chin softly.

“Always remember this, child. You are your own person. Be strong. Fight to live on. Days will be challenging, all hope seeming lost. But you will have each other. Trust in them, and in yourself. Do not be ashamed. I promise you that I will always be here for you. Always.”

Stunned by her genuine compassion, she could not come up with a response. All she could do was stare blankly at her as her eyes glassed over with tears. Miss Giddy patted her arm as the tears slid down her cheeks. Just then, the pregnant girl entered the room with a plate of fresh bread and fruit.

“Ah, thank you, Angharad,” Miss Giddy said, taking the plate. Angharad smiled at her before focusing on the newcomer. She held her hand out for her to take. She squeezed it tightly.

“We are not things,” Angharad said. “Drill that into your mind, and never forget it.”

She nodded once, her eyes fixed on the scratchy scars on the side of Angharad’s face. She looked away when Angharad noticed her staring.

“When life throws you off-balance for so long, you begin to hate the version of yourself,” Angharad said. “But at least I was in control. But I see that life was not kind to you either.” She gingerly touches the stitches on the newcomer’s forehead. “You’ll get through this. We all will. Together.” Angharad left the room then, giving Miss Giddy the privacy she needed with the new girl.

“The Splendid Angharad,” Miss Giddy said. “She truly is a wonder. She keeps the girls mentally strong everyday. Helps them get through the pain.” She held the plate out for her and urged her to eat. She did so gratefully. She never had bread before; it was warm, soft, and unlike anything she’d ever consumed. It was good, and filled her belly.

“You eat up, and I’ll stitch your clothes for ya.”

She complied without question. She finished her meal in silence, as she always has, and always will. She figured that this wasn’t so bad, where she was. She didn’t remember how she got there or what happened to her before going to the Citadel, but she felt relaxed, which she found odd. She didn’t feel like she was supposed to be relaxing, eating good food in a rock house. But for once in her life, she did not care.

But once more, she would learn the hard way about the unrelenting power of the Wasteland.

* * *

 A few days passed, and she learned a lot.

She learned the other women’s names: Toast, Dag, Capable, and Cheedo. They told her that they were chosen from The Wretched by the Citadel’s warlord, Immortan Joe, to be breeders for him; produce healthy male heirs to carry on his legacy. It devastated her that that was their only purpose. Unfortunately, they also had to explain that since she was living with them, she was another one of his wives too. She did not react emotionally, however. From then on, she took a vow to never express herself again, choosing to endure the abuse that was inevitably upon her.

As Furiosa said, she was brought to a man called The Organic Mechanic–the sole doctor of the Citadel–for a medical check-up. Her stitches were free of infection, and she had no other pending injuries. She didn’t like his brash and crude attitude, nor the grease on his hands. He treated her with care, since she was another precious wife of Immortan Joe. After being brought back to the Bio Dome, she stayed in her room, refusing to eat and drink until the next day.

She distanced herself from the other wives, but still participated in their daily lessons from Miss Giddy. She sat on the floor, away from them when she used the chalkboard. She did the same with piano lessons and learning about past history. She never said a word. Based on her asocial behaviour and muteness, the wives chose a name for her:

Loner.

Just as promised, Miss Giddy made Loner a set of clothes according to her liking. A cut-off long sleeve shirt, complete with a hood. Her pants had high slits, exposing her legs whenever a gust of wind would blow by. Her stomach was left exposed, which didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. She smiled at Miss Giddy.

“Thank you,” she signed, also mouthing the words.

“My god.” Miss Giddy’s eyes widened at the sight of Loner simply gesturing a phrase. She grabbed Loner’s arm, incredulity in her eyes. “Where did you learn that, child?”

Loner tilted her head to the side in confusion, her brows furrowing in frustration. She could not remember when nor where she acquired such a skill for the life of her. She frowned and looked towards the floor, shrugging indifferently.

“It’s alright, dear,” Miss Giddy said. “I do not know it myself, but it is a treasure to cross paths with someone using a dead language. Do not worry about the girls not being able to understand. You’ll do just fine with them.”

Loner nodded in understanding. Although she was disappointed that she would not be able to communicate in her preferred language anymore, she could get by with grunts and pointing.

Despite refusing to interact with them, Loner thought the other wives quite fascinating. Especially Cheedo. Cheedo found her Citadel life comfortable and lavish, and she didn’t see anything wrong with that. She knew that what Immortan Joe did to them was wrong, but she had not yet experienced it. She remained pure, and purity was a rare thing in the Wasteland.

Loner could relate. It was nice to eat unspoiled food and have clean water to drink and bathe in. To be able to read, receive education, and have piano lessons was just an added bonus. But that was it. None of that was worth the pain and torture of having their bodies used recreationally for breeding purposes. Loner had not yet met Immortan Joe, but she knew better than to have high hopes in a seemingly placid paradise.

It was the morning of the eighth day in the Citadel that Furiosa visited again. Miss Giddy was giving a lesson about the Second World War when Furiosa stormed her way through the entrance tunnel. She looked the same as last time: filthy, shaved head, mechanical arm, strong, confident. And Loner was completely captivated by her. She had hoped that she could begin a conversation with Furiosa if possible, but Furiosa was too curt and cold to be given a chance.

“Time for check-ups. Let’s go.”

The other wives immediately got up from their chairs and filed in a line, and followed Furiosa outside. Loner could not keep her eyes off of Furiosa. She felt like she had seen Furiosa before, in the past, before the Citadel. But all she could remember was her time as a child, sitting in a tree or watching the stars. And wandering in the desert. Desperately, hopelessly, searching and searching for something she knew would never come.

Too soon they arrived at Organic’s so-called “office”. One by one, each of the wives were examined for any unexpected illnesses, and to see if there were any medical procedures that were necessary. Like a four-leaf clover, they were lucky that they were all perfectly healthy, including Angharad’s baby. The only bad news they got was that Capable was ovulating, and they all knew what that meant. Furiosa stood off to the side, arms crossed while watching the whole thing. Loner tried not to stare at her so much, but it was difficult not to. She rubbed her hands together anxiously.

Loner also glared at Organic when he wouldn’t take his eyes off of Cheedo. She knew what kind of gaze that was, and did not like the intent behind his eyes. She stood protectively in front of Cheedo, holding her wrist gently.

“What are you doing?” Cheedo asked.

Loner did not respond. She just kept her grip, and made sure to shield Organic’s eyes from Cheedo’s own. Furiosa moved them along once their appointment was over. Loner stuck close to Cheedo, even if she didn’t want to be protected. It was in Furiosa’s job description to do just that, but Loner just saw it as her walking them to and from their destinations. Furiosa seemed more than capable to protect multiple people at once if the moment arose, but Loner got the sense that she would simply stand by if she felt like it.

Halfway back to the Bio Dome, the group came upon Rictus Erectus, Immortan Joe’s second son. A huge body coupled with a child’s brain, Rictus enjoyed tearing things apart and having little regard for morals. And common courtesy. His appearance was unexpected, as Furiosa stopped walking after taking note of his presence. She held her arm out to prevent the wives from moving any further.

“You know the deal, Rictus,” Furiosa said, her voice firm. She curtly nodded her head to the side, signaling for him to move out of the way. With wavering self-control, Rictus angrily obeyed. Once the path was clear, Furiosa continued forward. The wives nervously glanced at Rictus, but like every new thing she saw, Loner stared. She gave him a once-over, which Rictus didn’t like at all. He took a step forward, and breathed through the tubing in his nose heatedly.

“What are you looking at, breeder?!” he yelled. “Think I look funny, do ya?! I’ll show ya something funny!”

Just then Rictus lunged at Loner, and Furiosa was a second too late. Well, she _thought_ she was. Within the blink of an eye, Loner had Rictus down on the floor, her knee pressed against his throat. Nothing like a simple palm strike to the face and a leg swing to unbalance a seven-foot-tall man and have him fall on his ass. Rictus yelled in rage, prompting him to shove Loner off of him. She rolled away and crouched low to the ground, ready to attack again if need be. But neither got the chance to retaliate. Furiosa stood in front of him, a gun pressed against his head.

“That’s enough!” she spat. “One more outburst out of you and the warlord himself will dispose of you.”

Furiosa waited until Rictus got the message to put her gun away. Then she turned to Loner, her expression serious. She grabbed her arm and brought her to her feet. Her voice was soft, yet deadly.

“Don’t do that again.”

She let Loner go and continued leading the wives back to the Bio Dome. None of them said anything, but with the look of astonishment in their eyes, there was no need to. Loner wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and remained at the back of the line, secretly satisfied.

Once safely back inside their humble abode, Furiosa parted ways without as so much as a goodbye. As soon as she was gone, the wives focused their attention on Loner. Loner kept her gaze downwards, avoiding their curious eyes. She had nothing else to show them, and just wanted to go to her room and read. But the wives had something to say first.

“That was a brave thing you did,” Capable said.

“Or a dumb thing,” Toast muttered.

“Where did you learn to do that?” Angharad asked.

Loner shrugged, since she could still not remember anything besides her time as a child. As a guess, she tapped her temple.

“You just… know?” Cheedo said.

Loner nodded.

“Could you teach us?” Dag asked.

“Furiosa protects us,” Toast chimed in, irritated. “She wasn’t too thrilled about Loner taking down Rictus. It probably insulted her. And besides. She can’t teach us if she can’t even remember where she learned it.”

“Who cares,” Dag giggled, smiling wide. “She took down big baddy number two. I want to see what else she can do.”

“It’s not like she can give us a demonstration,” Toast said.

“Sure she can,” Capable said. “Nothing like a little practice. Who knows. It might come in handy later on.”

“You’re impossible.”

“What’s so wrong with wanting to defend ourselves?”

“And go against Furiosa?”

“We wouldn’t be going against her. We’d be lessening the burden.”

“I wouldn’t mind doing it…”

“And then what? Be punished later on because we had the gall to pick a fight with one of them?”

“Better to fight them off than to not have tried at all.”

“Angharad’s six months pregnant. How do you expect her to defend herself like that?”

“We’d protect her, obviously.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“And why not, Angharad?”

While the wives fought with each other, Loner quietly slipped away to her bedroom, peering over her shoulder to see if any of them followed. They didn’t. Angharad’s eyes lingered on Loner, but otherwise stayed put to calm everyone down. Loner climbed into bed with her back to the door. She didn’t like them yelling at each other. She didn’t think that protecting herself would cause all of that ruckus. Nonetheless, she folded her pillow over her ear, and tried to ignore the noise.

After ten minutes of rest, Loner uncovered her ear, and heard nothing. She peered over her shoulder, and unexpectedly saw Angharad standing there. She quickly covered her face again and rolled over. Angharad took a step forward.

“It truly was a brave thing you did,” she said softly. “None of us would have had the courage to fight back. But please, be careful. You never know what may come of your heroics.” She placed her hand on Loner’s shoulder gently, and brushed her thumb along it comfortingly. “We’re all here for each other, Loner. Don’t forget that.”

Angharad took her leave then to rest as well. Carrying a child was a lot of work, and she got tired more easily. Loner curled in on herself once Angharad’s soft footsteps disappeared. That was the only thing she didn’t want to hear. No matter how much Angharad or the others assured her of their bond, Loner didn’t want it. She preferred to be alone, away from them, to make sure she didn’t establish any sort of emotional attachment to them. She had a gaping void in her chest, left behind from the family she once knew as a girl, and the recent one she lost, but didn’t remember. But she had an instinct to keep her feelings locked away, never to surface. Her heart couldn’t bear any more anguish.

In the Citadel, safety was a delusion. Being chosen as a breeder meant living the high life, bathing in water and consuming edible food. But only a fool would believe that it was worth all the psychological torment. Loner didn’t believe in safety. Not anymore. She was going to defend and protect herself, no matter the cost.

Once more, she would witness the consequence of her own actions.

* * *

Three weeks later, Loner got a glimpse of all the wives’ worst nightmare.

By then, Loner had met Immortan Joe, and all but grimaced at his appearance. He was old, stocky, ugly, and appalling. He wore a respirator mask connected to a large breathing apparatus worn on his shoulders. His fake glass armour did not fool Loner about his serious health problems. She could see the large boils covering his backside. His voice was low and guttural, almost intimidating. But all Loner felt was repugnance and hatred in his presence.

Immortan Joe first met Loner when one of his War Boys brought her unconscious body back from the Wasteland, offering her to him as a breeder. Once she was cleaned up and her forehead was stitched, the War Boy was promoted after Immortan Joe saw her beauty and learned that she was perfect for carrying children. However, Loner first met Immortan Joe during another medical check-up with the other wives.

She flinched when he walked through the door, but didn’t make a show of it. She held her arm, and was squeezing it tightly to avoid hissing at him. She quietly gagged at the powdery smell, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Furiosa was not affected by his presence. Not physically, anyway.

Immortan Joe had expressed his interest in taking Cheedo’s virginity as she laid on the table. Loner hated how he caressed her face when she looked like she wanted to cry. Dag stepped forward then, and told him to his face to never touch Cheedo again, as she was someone who he had not poisoned yet. Loner appreciated Dag’s ability to make the other wives laugh and to protest when it mattered most, but speaking out against Immortan Joe to his face was the worst thing she could have ever done.

Immortan Joe forced all the wives to watch as he severely beat and raped Dag in front of them. They were meant to entertain him after the check-up, but after Dag’s outburst, he had another plan in mind. Loner stared on, looking but not watching, while holding Cheedo. Her chest was tight, and she was getting choked up, but she refused to cry. She had witnessed this before with her mother. If she could get through it back then, she could get through it again.

Interestingly enough, Loner noticed Furiosa’s expression had changed. She stood with her arms crossed and chin up, but she saw her eyes glass over. Furiosa indeed had become less hostile towards the wives, but Loner did not know to what extent. She saw Furiosa clench her jaw, and crack her neck to restrain herself from intervening. Dag’s cries and screams echoed throughout Immortan Joe’s chamber, and he gave her no mercy. Loner was the only one among the wives able to keep a straight face.

Afterwards, padlocked and toothed chastity belts were forced on them as a punishment. They were incredibly uncomfortable, and there was nothing they could use to cut them off with. Miss Giddy immediately began treating Dag once they returned to the Bio Dome, washing her cuts and bandaging her arms. Furiosa gazed upon them regretfully. Before she left, she told them a secret.

“I can take you all far away from here,” she said. It grabbed everyone’s attention. “To the Green Place. Of Many Mothers. It was where I grew up before I was taken to the Citadel.”

“Where–“ Cheedo swallowed thickly. She was still affected from witnessing Dag’s abuse. “Where is it?”

“Out east,” Furiosa said. “I am not sure if it still exists, but I can take you there, away from this place. From him. It would be a risk, but I believe it would be worth it.”

The room went silent. The cogs were turning in everyone’s minds. The risks were great: Immortan Joe would come after them. The conditions of the Wasteland were ever-changing. Smuggling out the wives was a dangerous idea in itself. Nonetheless, it was unanimous among them. None of them wanted to be subjected to being raped, beaten, or leered at. They would be leaving the only thing they ever knew, except for Loner and Toast. They both came from the Wasteland, and could handle its nature. The other wives, however, were unpredictable.

Yet, one by one, the wives nodded their heads in agreement. Furiosa acknowledged their decision, and offered them a tiny smile, one which she never showed to them before.

“It won’t be immediate, but I’ll be back for you.”

She turned her back on them, but Loner quickly stepped forward and grabbed her mechanical arm. Furiosa was stunned by her actions, but Loner held up a single finger, asking Furiosa to wait one minute before she left. Loner briskly went to her room, and lifted the mattress to retrieve two pieces of paper. She stood in front of Furiosa again and held them out.

“What’s this?” Furiosa asked. Loner placed her hands together in a prayer form, then separated them to tell Furiosa to look at the papers. Furiosa was skeptical at first, but glided her eyes over the pages. Her eyes widened in shock. “Are these–?” Loner nodded vigorously. Furiosa sighed, glancing over them once more before folding the papers and tucked them deep in her girdle. “You never fail to surprise me.”

And with that, Furiosa nodded once to the wives before leaving the Bio Dome. Loner smiled mischievously as she watched Furiosa’s retreating back.

“What did you give her?” Dag asked. Loner simply glanced over her shoulder, put a finger up to her lips, and winked. “Come on. Not even a hint?”

Loner cocked her head to the side in thought, then nodded. There was no harm in showing the wives what she gave to Furiosa. If they were going out into the Wasteland, provisions were needed. She faced them and held out her palm face-up, made a fist, then spread her fingers out, and quietly rumbled in the back of her throat.

“Bombs?” Toast speculated. “You know how to make bombs?” Loner grinned and nodded.

Even though her memory of her previous family had not returned to her, her skills and talents and instincts remained intact. Loner felt out of place at times because of the void deep within her. It felt like she should be remembering something important; something so crucial and intricate that it could possibly change her life. But, alas, she could not recall her past life.

Like all things however, with time, the truth would reveal itself.


	3. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furiosa came to them with an escape plan, and a familiar face reappeared.

Soon after revealing the Green Place to the wives, Furiosa was relieved of her duty as their protector and was given a new War Rig to do supply runs to Gas Town and the Bullet Farm. The wives carried on their breeder life as usual, studying and playing piano and occasionally singing. They ate and cleansed themselves and read. It was routine, but all the wives had a new anxiety pulsing through their hearts.

Furiosa’s escape plan.

Furiosa never got the chance to explain to the wives how and when she would get them out of the Citadel. It was a whirlwind of apprehension day after day, waiting for her to come back and take them away to her sacred homeland. In the interim, they mentally prepared themselves for the harsh challenges they would soon face.

Dag learned that she was pregnant as a result of Immortan Joe’s brutal assault on her. She immediately expressed disgust upon the discovery. Angharad, however, reassured her that her child would be brave and beautiful, just like she was. It did little to comfort Dag, but she appreciated Angharad’s empathy.

And it would be on the thirty-sixth night that Furiosa would return.

She came in the dead of the night, a few hours before sunrise. She crept into the Bio Dome, armed with a shotgun. One by one she woke up all the wives and Miss Giddy to relay the plan to them.

“There’s another supply run in the morning,” she said. “I’m going to hide you all in the tanker of the Rig tonight. It’ll start when I begin heading east. You need to stay hidden the entire time until I say. I made a deal at a canyon for safe passage. They’ll blow the rocks to prevent anyone else from following through. Do you trust me?”

The wives nodded in agreement. The plan sounded simple enough, but they all knew it’d be anything but. Regardless, they put their full faith in Furiosa.

“Good. Miss Giddy.” Furiosa handed the shotgun to her. “Do what you need to.”

The wives protested at Miss Giddy staying behind. She felt like a real mother to them, and Miss Giddy deeply loved her students. They begged her to come with them, but Miss Giddy just gently patted each of their cheeks.

“You girls don’t worry about me,” she smiled, voice soft. “It’ll take a lot more than an egotistical, maniacal bastard to bring me down.”

The wives laughed through their tears–save for Loner–and accepted their fate. Before they left, they painted phrases along the door, the water hole, and in their bedrooms, each of them reminding the reader of their reality:

_Who killed the world?_

_Our babies will not be warlords._

_We are not things._

After completing their work, they said their final goodbyes to Miss Giddy, and followed Furiosa outside. As a precaution, Loner split one of her pant legs to create a wrap for her face to protect her from the sand. If there was one more thing she hated, it was having dust forced down her throat.

The trek to Furiosa’s War Rig was the first part in their dangerous journey to the Green Place. None of the wives had experienced the Citadel at night before, outside of their element. The War Boys were sound asleep, but there were always guards posted around the three towers. Particularly Corpus Colossus. He was in charge of overseeing the Citadel through his telescope. He was the complete opposite of Rictus. While Rictus was physically capable but dim-witted, Corpus was disabled with exceptional intelligence. Furiosa knew exactly where the guards were posted, and that Corpus had already gone to sleep. The only thing they had to do was stay quiet and not draw attention to themselves.

It took around thirty minutes for the wives to reach the tanker of the War Rig, completely unsuspected by anyone. Furiosa crawled beneath it and showed them the secret hatch.

“You’ll be fine in here,” she whispered. “They’ll lower it in the morning to attach to the front of the Rig. There’s produce, water, and Mother’s Milk inside. Get in.”

Silently, the wives climbed aboard the tanker. Like Furiosa said, there was produce, some hanging from the ceiling, others sitting on shelves with wine bottles filled with water. Lettuce leafs adorned the bottom racks, and fresh fruit sat securely in large mason jars. Their bellies would have no problem being full on the expedition. But it was the last thing on their minds.

Once Dag slipped herself inside, Furiosa grabbed hold of the latch door and began to close it as she offered some last words before leaving them.

“Just stay quiet. You’ll be out of here before you know it.”

“Wait,” Angharad said. Furiosa paused, keeping the door open. “No matter what happens… we don’t kill anyone if there’s another way.”

Furiosa narrowed her eyes at her. She didn’t know what brought on her sudden gentleness. She pulled her lips to the side as she thought about it.

“ _Only_ , if there’s another alternative,” Furiosa repeated. “If not, then I’ll kill whoever tries to stop me.”

Angharad nodded, glad she could get one final request in before the morning. Furiosa glanced at them one last time to make sure that there were no more objections. But all she saw was determination in their eyes. She nodded, then locked the hatch before disappearing back into the Citadel.

It was dark inside the tanker, save for a single oil lamp. The air was stuffy and chilly. The wives huddled together for warmth, and for comfort. Cheedo clung to Loner, wrapping her arms around her waist. Loner did not mind looking after Cheedo, even if she wanted to put as much distance between her and the other wives as possible. She still tried her hardest not to get too attached, but she would not push them away if they sought relief from her. The physical contact eased Loner’s yearning for that touch.

An hour passed after arriving in the tanker, and none of the wives had gotten any sleep. Their eyes were drooping, exhausted from the anxiety and fear of being found out, and their chastity belts were most uncomfortable. But they remained strong. Angharad looked around at her treasured friends, noticing their obvious fatigue. They were all mentally drained, but Angharad wanted to reassure them of the hope that awaited them. She grasped Dag and Capable’s hands, then closed her eyes as she began a mantra to remind them of their future.

“We’re going to the Green Place of Many Mothers. We’re going to the Green Place of Many Mothers. We’re going to the Green Place of Many Mothers. We’re going to the Green Place of Many Mothers…”

As soon as she began, the other wives joined in. Loner simply repeated the phrase in her mind. Capable held Toast’s hand, and Dag held Cheedo’s. Cheedo held her hand out to Loner, which she took gratefully. Together, the six of them fed off each other’s positive energy, hope, and faith. They would get through this, and they would begin a new life in a land of full of optimism, free of tyranny and oppression.

* * *

Five hours later, the wives were woken up to the sound of War Boys preparing for the day, and the supply run. They jolted awake as the tanker was shoved around. They kept holding hands, and remained quiet like Furiosa instructed. On the outside, the tanker was being rolled onto a lift that would bring it down to be attached to the War Rig.

The wives shook off their fatigue to be prepared for the day’s events. All of them were more than ready to get away from the shameful place of the Citadel. It may have had clean water and fresh crops, but it didn’t have the love nor care that every society should have. All it had was hatred and persecution rooted deep in its core.

The tanker lurched to a stop. Outside, the wives could hear the War Boys chanting.

“We are War Boys! War Boys! Kamakrazee War Boys! Fucacima kamakrazee! War Boys! War Boys!”

The tanker was securely hooked onto the Rig once it reached the ground. An additional fuel pod was attached to the rear, and the War Boys yelled out their enthusiasm. The War Rig revved to life as Furiosa turned the ignition and activated her kill sequence.

“Today, we’re heading… to Gas Town! Today, we’re hauling Aqua Cola! Today, we’re hauling produce! And today we’re hauling Mother’s Milk!”

“Joe! Joe! Joe! Immortan Joe!”

And if the pompous chanting wasn’t bad enough, the wives heard the booming voice of Immortan Joe over a P.A. system, delivering a speech to the Wretched. The echo of the crowd and the War Boys could be heard among them.

“Once again, we send off my War Rig to bring back guzzoline from Gas Town, and bullets from the Bullet Farm! Once again, I salute my Imperator Furiosa! And I salute my half-life War Boys, who will ride with me eternal, on the highways of Valhalla.”

“V8! V8! V8! V8! V8!”

The roar of the crowd and the deafening speakers allowed Loner to forget her worries and doubts about the plan. It all but reminded her that she needed to do whatever it took to get to the Green Place, and help the other wives get there, where they belonged. Her breaths were steady, and her resolve was absolute. She would do this, no matter the cost.

“I am your redeemer. It is by my hand you will rise from the ashes of this world!”

There was a swift hush over the crowd; then, an abrupt gurgling sound. The crowd was familiar with it, and raised their bowls, pans, crockets, and anything that could hold liquid as Immortan Joe opened the water valves. The crowd cheered boisterously, thankful for the chance to live another day. It made Loner seethe with disgust.

Fighting each other to survive was no way to live. If she could, she would liberate the Wretched from Immortan Joe’s cold, dead hands. Unfortunately, she could only help to liberate five. But it was better than nothing. She frowned even more when he shut off the valves and told the crowd not to become addicted to water.

However, he was finished with his address, and the War Rig began moving. The wives breathed a sigh of relief, but only for so long.

“Here we go guys,” Angharad said. “Stay focused, and remain calm.”

The wives nodded at her, and waited for the plan to go into motion.

For a while the Rig and Furiosa’s team remained on course to Gas Town. It was difficult to tell time in an enclosed space, but Loner figured it had at least been forty minutes since the fading voices of the Citadel dissipated. Cheedo had since calmed down from being frightened by Immortan Joe’s voice. She was still a bit jittery, but her face had relaxed. Loner rubbed her hand soothingly, which seemed to help.

Suddenly, the Rig veered left, deviating from its original course. The wives looked at each other in understanding. The plan had begun.

They held onto each other every time the Rig made a sharp turn, and covered their ears to drown out the noise from the sharp explosions. They didn’t realize how much of a danger they were in the whole time. The territorial Buzzards nearly got them three times and were almost destroyed by them, but reinforcements from the Citadel took them out. They could hear Immortan Joe’s Coma-Doof Warrior shredding his flaming guitar; the pursuit vehicles revved with ferocity, and the War Boys shouted in animalistic ecstasy.

As consequence of the pursuit, the tanker became dustier, hotter, and drier. The wives coughed and gagged. Loner shifted the mask on her face, then tightened it to prevent any more damage to her lungs from breathing in so much sand. She pulled her hood forward to keep her hair fully covered, and held it in place. Angharad couldn’t stand the atmosphere anymore either, so she crept to the front of the tanker and unhitched another latch, then crawled through to tell Furiosa that they couldn’t breathe.

A minute later, Angharad returned and wedged herself between Capable and Dag again. War Boys that were mounted on the Rig continued to throw their Thundersticks on the last remaining Buzzard vehicle until it exploded in a spikey blast. The impact left a terrifying booming noise in its wake, startling the hell out of the wives. They yelled in fear and frustration, but remained together. Loner did most of the reassuring, holding the wives’ hands and caressing their faces. Regardless of Loner’s memory loss of past battles, she knew that consoling the wives was the best thing to do to keep them relaxed. No matter what.

The terrain suddenly became rougher and sandier. None of the wives knew Furiosa had forced the Rig into a humongous, thunderous sandstorm to evade their pursuers. The Rig skidded left and right, and Toast nearly avoided a wine bottle falling on her head. Some of the produce flung to the floor, and Cheedo yelped when her chastity belt dug into her from a particularly hard bump. She hung onto Loner’s arm and choked back on her tears. Loner shushed her, but no one could hear her. Still, Loner fulfilled her own person duty to help get the wives through the escape.

* * *

The dangers of the sandstorm dispelled twenty minutes later. The Rig came to a halt, the winds had vanished, and Cheedo stopped crying. It became so quiet and still they could hear a pin drop. The engine of the Rig had been turned off. They heard a hard slam. Then, the hatch below them was pulled open. They scrambled away as Furiosa appeared beneath them.

“The storm’s gone,” she said, wiping her face. “Climb out.”

The wives did as they were told, and jumped down into the sand. They stretched their aching limbs, and coughed out the remaining dust lining their mouths. They patted down their clothes, and breathed in the air. Furiosa emerged from the cabin with a pair of bolt cutters and threw it at their feet. Then she unhooked the water hose from the pump and held it out to them.

“Clean yourselves off. I’m going to flush out the sand from the Rig.”

Dag immediately picked up the bolt cutters and started breaking off the wives’ chastity belts, beginning with Loner. After she was freed, Loner quickly doused herself in water, shaking out her hair. She took a few sips and then squeezed out the water from her mask before putting it back on. She headed to the front of the Rig to do inventory of weapons while Dag helped the rest of the wives out of their belts. Furiosa banged out one of the exhaust pipes. They were safe, for the time being.

During inventory, Loner was surprised to find a bag full of custom explosives. Their designs were the exact same as the ones she gave to Furiosa written on book pages, each with a green, yellow, or red stripe on it. She smiled to herself that Furiosa actually followed through and made them. After she finished counting all the firearms, she climbed out of the passenger side to help Furiosa brush off the sand from the supercharger. Howbeit, she heard a clang from the other side of the Rig. She lowered herself to the ground, and peered beneath the Rig. Her eyes widened when she saw a man–which she did not recognize as Max–chained to a War Boy named Nux, pointing a shotgun at the other wives. She remained calm, however, and put some distance between her and the tanker to avoid Max seeing her as she crawled on her hands and feet to the rear.

Loner was extra cautious when Max ordered Angharad to give him the water hose. She stood up when she reached the end of the tanker, and peeked out from behind it. All she could see was Max’s backside, which was good for her. She slipped behind the fuel pod when he threw the hose to the ground. Peering from behind the pod now, Loner put a finger to her lips to keep the other wives from reacting to seeing her. Max held up his chain, and ordered Dag to come forward with the bolt cutters to help him out of it. Stepping outside of her hiding spot, Loner stealthily tiptoed behind Max as Dag tried to sever the chain.

Dag served as an excellent distraction, which gave Loner the perfect opportunity to try and restrain Max. Loner ran forward and grabbed Max’s right shoulder, then pushed the back of his knee with her foot while simultaneously bringing him down with her weight. His back dropped to the sand, but he still held onto his shotgun. He grunted upon impact, but quickly shot to his knees. Loner grabbed his chain and wrapped it around his neck, squeezing painfully, but Max elbowed her in the gut, and pulled her forward. He sat on her waist and went to punch her, but she blocked him with her arm. She tried to push him off, but Furiosa came in and kicked him in the face, then sat on his chest instead.

Loner caught her breath as a life-or-death fight broke out between Furiosa and Max. Furiosa easily took his shotgun and aimed it at his face, but the trigger was faulty from the sand clogged in the barrels. Her surprise from the malfunction allowed Max to retaliate in return. He was on top of her now, but Angharad and Capable pulled his chain until he was on his knees again and choking. Dag tossed the bolt cutters to Furiosa, which she used as her primary weapon.

Max dragged along Nux attached to the other end of the chain, but he had not regained consciousness. Instead of helping, Loner simply rubbed her abdomen and crawled around the scene, watching it unfold. Furiosa kept attacking, forcing Max back farther and farther, until he got a good hit in using a car door that he had to drag along with him. Furiosa got up and punched a skull mounted on the tanker, then grabbed the hidden Glock 17 inside. Nux finally woke up after being tugged in every direction, and dragged Furiosa to the ground. Max grabbed the gun, but Furiosa came up behind him and released the magazine. She fired a blank, and Nux grabbed hold of the magazine, to which the wives restrained him.

Max fought her off ferociously, but Furiosa was swifter, nimbler. She kneed him in the face and used his chain to choke him like Loner did. Loner kept her distance still, analyzing the battle in front of her. Max fought like any other man trying to survive. But she felt like she had seen it somewhere before. It could not have been a War Boy, no. Their movements were too erratic and weak. The other Imperators of the Citadel never fought much either. She figured she was picturing her father fighting off gang members when she was young.

He elbowed Furiosa and rolled her over on her back, the empty gun in his hand. She frantically grabbed the water hose and hit him over the head multiple times. Dag pulled the chain until Max flew back, but he managed to restrain Furiosa’s arm behind her back as he sat on her waist. Nux held out the magazine, allowing Max to arm the gun. He shot it three times around Furiosa’s head, ending the fight.

Loner cautiously crawled forward before Dag helped her to her feet. In the distance, they could hear the all-too-familiar racket of Immortan Joe’s designated theme song player. They waited until the storm had subsided to continue their chase. And they were dangerously close.

Nux broke Max’s chain, and the latter ripped his jacket off Nux. The wives stood around, too afraid to move, but Angharad wasn’t having it. She walked towards the Rig.

“We’re going to the Green Place.”

Upon seeing her move, Max shot around her, making her to stop in her tracks. He shoved Nux to the ground before climbing into the cabin of the Rig and driving away. Because of his careless aim, Max had grazed Angharad’s leg. She breathed through the pain and said once more:

“We’re going to the Green Place of Many Mothers.”

Furiosa came up to her and looked down at her leg.

“How does it feel?”

“It hurts.”

“Out here, everything hurts. You wanna get through this? Do as I say. Now pick up what you can and run.”

Following orders, Toast grabbed the useless shotgun and Dag took the bolt cutters as the rest chased after the War Rig. Ultimately, it halted to a stop, thanks to Furiosa’s kill switch. She stood by the driver’s side and grabbed her mechanical arm, then hooked it up around her torso.

“Kill switches,” she said to Max. “I set the sequence myself. This Rig goes nowhere without me.”

Max glanced at Furiosa. Considering the situation, he would have to let her on if he wanted to get away from Immortan Joe and his reinforcements.

“You can get in,” he nodded, his voice gruff.

“Not without them.”

Max sighed, then looked out the window behind him. The wives were growing anxious as Immortan Joe’s forces crept ever closer to their position. Max shook his head and sat back in his seat.

“So we wait.”

Unsatisfied with his answer, Furiosa mounted the cabin and hung onto the door to convince Max otherwise.

“You’re relying on the gratitude of a very bad man,” she began. “You’ve already damaged one of his wives. How grateful do you think he’s gonna be?”

However, that did not deter him from his decision. She tried a different angle. “You’re sitting on two thousand horsepower of nitro-boosted war machine. I’d say you got about a five-minute head start.”

Another failure. She was getting impatient, as were the wives. No one was going anywhere if she couldn’t convince Max to let them all aboard. She leaned forward and aggressively gave him an option he might like.

“You want that thing off your face?”

At last, Max turned his head to face her. That seemed to do the trick. He let her inside, and kept the Glock on her as she brought the Rig to life once more.

“Let’s go!” she said to the wives. They took once last glance in the distance at Immortan Joe’s pursuit gang before climbing into the backseat of the Rig. Capable bandaged Angharad’s wounded leg delicately. Furiosa gave Max a knife to cut the muzzle off his face.

“Of all the legs you had to shoot, that one was attached to his favourite,” she told him, greatly disappointed. Max ignored her and emptied out a red sack, and began filling it with all the firearms that were stored in the cabin.

Loner’s piercing gaze never left Max’s face. It was bad enough that Immortan Joe was still after them. And yet, it was worse that there was another aggressor ready to take their lives if he needed to. It annoyed Loner to no end. She couldn’t toss him out even if she wanted to; he’d have shot her in the head before she had time to wrap her arm around his throat. She glimpsed at the other wives and Furiosa. The only thing she could do was stay put for the time being.

After collecting the guns in the front, Max turned his head and stared at Loner, then snapped and pointed to the gun closest to Cheedo. She simply stared back at him, not giving him any sort of satisfaction or obedience.

“You don’t have to do it just because he tells you,” Angharad said.

“What choice does she have?” Dag countered.

“He’s not gonna hurt us, he needs us,” Toast answered.

“Why?”

“To bargain.”

“Oh, he’ll hurt us alright.”

Cheedo carefully took the gun out of its holster and slowly handed it over to Max. He added it to the gun collection.

“Do you think he’s coming to the Green Place?” Cheedo asked.

“Never! He’s a crazy smeg who eats Schlesinger!”

Max picked up and twirled another gun at Toast’s feet and flung it into the bag. Loner scowled when Max found the explosives and added them to the bag as well. Considering Furiosa’s skill and technique, Loner knew she would have had no problem piecing them together and have them be fully operational. It was a shame that she wouldn’t be able to use them any time soon. But one way or another, Loner would get them back.

The bombs completed the entire inventory. Max held the gun on the wives instead of Furiosa and continued cutting away at the back of his muzzle. He paused again, however, when he saw where Furiosa was heading.

“Nah, stay out of there,” he said, leaning over to turn the wheel.

“Behind you,” Furiosa said, staring out the window.

“Huh?”

“The Gas Town boys,” Toast said, prompting the other wives to look beyond her head. Max grabbed the front of Toast’s scarf and yanked her forward, then peered over his shoulder. “Don’t damage the goods.”

Capable grabbed a pair of binoculars and Angharad used a telescope to gaze upon the horizon and see who was after them next.

“What do you see?” Furiosa asked.

“Big Rigs… Polecats… Flamers… And there’s the People Eater himself,” Angharad said.

“Coming to count the cost,” Capable added.

Max grumbled in understanding and let Toast go. Abruptly, the entire War Rig trembled and slowed down. Furiosa yelled in frustration, failing to fix the problem.

“We’re dragging something out back. I think it’s the fuel pod.”

She was about to open the door and go fix it herself, but Max held out his arm and stopped her.

“No, no. I’ll go.”

Furiosa sat back down in her seat. Max opened the door behind him and slung the gun bag over his shoulder to take with him. His absence eased the tension in the cabin, but not for long. While Max was fixing the problem in the back, Nux unveiled himself unexpectedly as he violently emerged from the floor in the cabin and choked Furiosa with the remaining chain-link around his wrist.

“You filth! You traitored him!”

Furiosa choked, gasping for air. All the wives except Loner leapt forward and restrained Nux, preventing him from killing Furiosa. Loner breathed hardly through her nose. She knew the situation was okay. It was five against one. The War Boy had no chance. They freed his grip around her. Furiosa took the hidden knife in the stick shift and forced it against Nux’s throat. At the same time, the fuel pod was successfully reattached to the tanker, and Max freed himself of his muzzle.

“No unnecessary killing!” Angharad yelled, pulling her arm back.

“This War Boy wants me _dead_!” Furiosa yelled back.

“We agreed! He’s kamakrazee!”

Together, Dag, Capable, and Toast pushed Nux back, while Angharad sat beside Furiosa as they both calmed down.

“He’s just a War Boy at the end of his half-life!”

“No, I live I die! I live again!” Nux said.

“Hold him!”

“Tie him up!”

“Throw him out!”

Furiosa returned the dagger back to its hiding place just as Max returned to the cabin. He quizzically eyed the wives tying up Nux.

“Chuck him out!”

Max looked at Furiosa in disbelief at the newest addition to the group. He pointed the gun over Furiosa’s left shoulder.

“You got more friends.”

Furiosa looked behind her, scrutinizing the vehicles in the distance. Max readjusted his grip on the gun bag before taking his place in the passenger seat once more.

“Bullet Farmer,” she said. “They’re coming from the Bullet Farm.”

“Yeah!” Nux said. “It’s over! You can’t defy him!”

Furiosa cranked her head back to spit in Nux’s face. He spit right back without hesitating. Max watched on incredulously as the wives argued with Nux, but he did not intervene, nor did he say a word about it.

“Just watch us, mate,” Dag said, grasping Nux’s arms.

“He is the one who grabbed the sun,” Nux began. Capable climbed on top of him and glared in his face while Dag held him down.

“Look how slick he’s fooled you.”

“He’s a lying old man.”

“By his hand, we’ll be lifted up!”

“That’s why we have his logo seared on our backs!” Angharad shouted. Dag opened the door, leaving Nux hanging half outside the Rig. “’Breeding Stock!’ ‘Battle Fodder!’”

“No, I am awaited!”

“You’re an old man’s ‘Battle Fodder!’”

“Killing everyone, and everything!”

“We’re not to blame!”

“Then who killed the world?!”

Finally, Angharad and Capable rolled Nux out of the Rig and into the sand. Although it was typically not something a normal person would think about, Loner was annoyed the entire time the other wives debated with Nux. She didn’t understand why they had to tell him that he was being tricked in being used for his whole life. The moment he revealed himself, they should have tossed him out and left him for the Wasteland, not begin a moral conversation. She locked eyes with Max, infuriation and annoyance plastered in her expression. She tore her gaze away by rolling her eyes and let it go.

The wives settled back down once Nux was gone. The canyon was in their sights. Furiosa went from panicked to controlled anxiety.

“I made a deal up ahead,” she announced. “Safe passage. I don’t know if it’s still any good. Get back in the hold! Keep the hatch open.” Cheedo went first, glancing from Furiosa to Max before sinking down into the floor and back in the tanker. Furiosa addressed Max. “I need you here. You may have to drive the Rig.”

Capable, Toast, Loner, and Dag followed suit behind Cheedo, but Max stopped Angharad, aiming the gun at her.

“You. You stay. You stay there.” Angharad frowned but remained where she was.

“Whatever you do, you can’t be seen,” Furiosa told him. “I’m supposed to be alone. That was the deal.”

Nodding, Max slid down into the floor and motioned Angharad to do the same.

“Down here.”

Angharad squeezed in next to him, watching that her belly didn’t hit anything on the way down. She glowered at him, but dealt with her current situation.

“Hey,” Furiosa called. “What’s your name? What do I call you?”

“Does it matter?” Max said.

“Fine. When I yell ‘fool’, you drive out of here as fast as you can. This is the sequence: one, one two, one, red, black, go. You have it?”

Max nodded. The gun was trained on Furiosa, despite the fact that there was no need to threaten her. He slouched lower when Furiosa drove farther into the canyon.

Back in the tanker, Loner was clutching the walls to prevent herself from falling through the open hatch. She watched the hot sand pass her by, wanting nothing more than to close the latch. But she wouldn’t leave Furiosa trapped outside if something went wrong. She positioned herself away from the other wives for strategic purposes. And because of her undying promise to detach her feelings for them. Each minute that passed she grew fonder of them, but she couldn’t risk the emotional impact of obtaining a new family, only to lose them later. She wouldn’t allow it.

The Rig came to a stop, and Loner held her breath.


	4. The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tragedy struck the group, and Loner regained a memory.

Once inside the canyon, Furiosa turned off the Rig and stepped outside with her hands up. Her eyes skirted the rocks, searching for the Rock Riders.

“It’s all here!” she announced. “Three thousand gallons of guzzoline just like you asked!” She looked around again, but saw no sign of them. “I’m gonna unhitch the pod. You drop the rocks.”

Just then, the Rock Riders appeared from behind their hiding spots, riding their bikes. Furiosa lowered her hands once they revealed themselves.

“You said, ‘A few vehicles in pursuit, maybe’,” one of them said. “We count three War Parties!”

“Yeah, well, I got unlucky,” Furiosa whispered to herself. “Let’s do this!”

She began walking towards the rear of the tanker to disconnect the fuel pod, but the air was heavy. She could feel how tense and upset the Rock Riders were. She didn’t have enough time to dawdle around. Angharad cried from a possible early labour, or a complication, and could be heard from outside the tanker. Immortan Joe’s forces could be seen coming around the corner to the entrance of the canyon. Furiosa couldn’t risk it anymore. At the top of her lungs, she shouted:

“Fool!”

As soon as she began running, the Rock Riders started firing at her, and Max got the Rig moving. She skidded under the tanker where the hatch was, and grabbed hold of the opening. Toast and Cheedo gripped her arms, trying to pull her in, but a Rock Rider slid underneath and seized her legs. Furiosa kicked him off and scrambled inside. Despite not receiving their fuel pod, the Rock Riders triggered a bomb to block the pathway into the canyon, thus preventing Immortan Joe, Gas Town, and the Bullet Farmer from coming through.

Furiosa made her way to the cabin of the Rig, with Max handing her a shotgun. The wives followed suit, and sat in the back, quiet as the gunfire continued on. Loner sat with Angharad on her right and Cheedo on her left. It was a tight squeeze with the six of them there, but personal space never mattered once the plan got underway. She held Cheedo’s arm and held her other one out to protect Angharad. She saw Rock Riders on both sides of the Rig, using their bikes to jump over dunes and send homemade bombs flying into the supercharger.

Each impact ended with flames, rocking the Rig with each blow. Furiosa and Max shot down the riders from their respective windows. Angharad gasped from the pain she was experiencing from her baby. Capable squeezed her knee in comfort, but it was all she could do to distract her form it. Furiosa lifted a lever on the side of the driver’s seat, which lowered the cow catcher to douse the flames. Sand filled the cabin of the Rig, blocking the view of the road. It cleared up moments later, allowing Max to see Immortan Joe’s Gigahorse pursuing from not far behind.

Opening the sunroof, Furiosa stood up on her seat while Max loaded the SKS rifle and handed it to her. She took out three more riders, and Max two. Furiosa crouched down again and threw the rifle into Angharad’s hands.

“Reload the clip.”

Toast took the gun to do it herself when Angharad clearly wasn’t capable. Loner flicked her eyes from Toast to Furiosa, and back again. She rapidly became concerned from how shaky Toast’s hands were, preventing her from accurately loading the gun. A Rider mounted the top of the tanker from one of the hills.

Furiosa stood up again and held out her hand. “Gun!” She stuck her head down and yelled when it wasn’t immediately placed in her hands. “Give me the gun!”

“It’s not loaded yet!” Toast told her.

The Rider pointed his gun at Furiosa and fired. “We had a deal!”

Furiosa ducked down once more. Max, being calm yet agitated, turned around and pointed his gun at the Rider, pressing the trigger once. It penetrated the glass of the back window, killing the Rider on impact. It narrowly missed hitting Loner, but Max was a good shot. She glared at him anyhow, then eyed a Rider on the right holding a bomb.

Both Furiosa and Max aimed at the Rider. Max shot out the glass while Furiosa used a signal pistol to take the Rider down. He fell off his bike and slid under the tanker, his bomb being flung from his hands. It ignited under the fuel pod, separating it from the rest of the Rig. It rolled off to the side and exploded with Immortan Joe’s Gigahorse emerging from the flames.

He gained on the Rig, and had the back of Furiosa’s head in his sights. He pointed his revolver at her through his glassless windshield, but Angharad opened the door of the cabin and used herself as a shield to protect Furiosa. Capable held onto her waist to prevent her from falling outside.

“Splendid!” Immortan Joe yelled. “Splendid! That’s my child! My property!”

Angharad pridefully boasted herself at Immortan Joe, keeping eye contact, never blinking. Furiosa scoffed and pointed her own gun at him, firing without hesitating. One of Immortan Joe’s Imperators blocked the shot, sacrificing himself and falling off the Gigahorse. Max gained the lead and got in front of Immortan Joe, blocking him. But Immortan Joe had Rictus throw Nux–who had been thrown from the Rig but brought back for the ride–back onto the tanker to kill Furiosa for him. He tripped and failed, leaving Immortan Joe to do his own dirty work.

Leaping from another hill, Immortan Joe managed to get in front of the Rig. Once more, Max and Furiosa shot at his men when they dragged behind, killing another Imperator. The wives all gazed at Immortan Joe in defiance.

“Schlanger!” Dag hissed.

Rictus launched a harpoon into the driver’s window, and went straight through the steering wheel, thwarting Max from having control of the Rig. The wheel came loose from its position and caught Max’s hand, pinning it to the window. He grunted in pain and tried to break free, but it didn’t work. Furiosa came forward to help, while Angharad stepped out of the Rig to use the bolt cutters with Capable to snap the chain. It worked, freeing Max’s hand, but they lost the steering wheel as a result. Furiosa used a large adjustable pipe wrench in place of the steering wheel.

“Look out!” Cheedo yelled.

Max used his injured hand to turn the wrench to the right, but the Rig still made contact with a large stone structure. Immortan Joe warned Angharad about the impending collision. Angharad swung herself around, hanging onto the back of a chain on the cabin just as the Rig struck the rocks. Max looked out the window to see if she had made it. Smiling triumphantly, Angharad took a step forward back to the cabin, holding onto the exhaust pipes. Max gave her a thumbs up, but it was in poor taste.

As Dag and Cheedo held out their arms for Angharad to take, her injured leg caused her to slip. She clung to the door, but it came off its hinges. Angharad yelled in fear and reached out to Dag, but the door gave away. She tumbled into the sand, and Immortan Joe didn’t have enough time to diverge from hitting her body. Capable and Dag screamed for Angharad. Toast and Cheedo cried for her, and Loner remained stone-faced, dissociating from the aftermath.

“Stop!” Capable told Max. “Turn the Rig around! Go back for her!”

Max looked straight ahead, and kept his composure. “No.”

“Tell him to turn the Rig around,” she told Furiosa.

“Did you see it?” Furiosa asked Max, her voice tiny yet steady.

“She went under the wheels,” he said.

“Did you see it?” she asked more hardly. Max faced her.

“She went under the wheels,” he said in a final tone. Furiosa blinked away her tears and nodded in understanding.

“We keep moving,” she said.

“No!” Capable yelled.

“We keep moving!”

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

“Whatever happens, we’re going to the Green Place.”

“The stupid Green Place. We don’t even know where to find it!”

As the wives wailed, all Loner could do was stare at the dashboard. She was affected by Angharad’s death about as much as Max was. She was quiet, reserved, and indifferent. Her eyes betrayed her anyhow; they glassed over quickly, then the hot tears slid down her cheeks. But her mind was far, far away. All the noises blurred into a buzzing sound in her ears. Her body rocked back and forth from disconnecting with the present for so long. She never blinked, and her heart raced like she was running for her life. The air became stuffy again, and her nails dug deep into her thighs. She was screaming over and over in her mind.

She had seen this before.

A girl being run down by an oversized vehicle. Crying in fear. Anguish in her eyes.

Like someone was flicking through TV channels, Loner caught a glimpse of a little girl with rich brown hair and big, bright eyes embraced in her mother’s arms. It was serene for a split second before they got crushed to death by a big-wheeler.

In a moment of clarity, Loner suddenly had an outburst, screaming and crying like a terrified child. Witnessing Angharad’s death triggered Loner’s memory of seeing Glory and Venus, previous members of her past family, being murdered in front of her eyes. The flashbacks kept on coming, over and over, playing again and again like a broken record. The look in Glory’s eyes, and Venus’ petrified screams. They haunted Loner in a way she’d never felt before. She couldn’t tell if it was a memory or her imagination, but her gut told her that she was connected to them.

In a rash daze, Loner stood up and tried to climb out of the sun roof.

“Loner, what are you doing?!” Capable cried.

She did not answer. She just clung to the opening, and tried to get out. Furiosa pulled down on her waist, forcing Loner back into the cabin. Even more frenzied, Loner looked to the door where Angharad fell out of. She prepared to launch herself out of it to help Angharad, but Dag threw her arms around her, and squeezed tightly.

“Loner, stop!” she yelled. She refused to lose another friend in one day. “She’s gone, Loner! Stop it!”

Loner struggled in Dag’s embrace, kicking her legs and stretching her arms out. The fleeting moment had passed, and Loner went limp in Dag’s arms, succumbing to her past trauma. She whimpered and continued to cry, curling in on herself. Dag and Capable helped her upright, but Loner hung her head. Furiosa glanced back in concern, but seeing as how Loner had calmed down from her outburst, she saw no point in saying anything more. Cheedo comforted Loner, wrapping her arm around her and laying her head on her shoulder. For the time being, the wives were alright.

They were anything but.

After a brief ride from the other side of the canyon, the Rig had had enough. The engine began smoking from over usage, and succumbed to the damage from the Rock Rider’s bombs. Max brought the Rig to a halt so he could cool the engines. As soon as the Rig stopped, Cheedo flung herself outside and began running back to the canyon, spewing nonsense about going back. Dag and Capable went after her, convincing her to not go back to Immortan Joe. Toast hung back and watched as Dag and Capable scrambled to hold Cheedo.

Loner, on the other hand, emerged from the cabin, eyes hardened and cheeks tear-stained. She had the SKS rifle in her hands, and took aim to the right of Cheedo’s head. She shot once, killing both of the War Boys that were pursuing them on an assault bike. She lowered the gun and threw it back into the cabin, sharing a look with Furiosa before climbing back inside. She heard an echo of Cheedo screaming Angharad’s name in the distance. She pulled her knees to her chest, and tried not to think about the woman and child from her flashbacks.

Soon enough, the engine was good to go. Capable, Dag, Toast, and Cheedo returned to the cabin once more, with Cheedo clinging to Capable. Max started it up again and the journey continued.

Everyone had stopped crying, but they were all still silently grieving. Loner had adapted to recover from sudden deaths without knowing it, but the others weren’t as hard-hearted. The ride was silent, still, and grave. Loner didn’t measure the time anymore; she simply watched the sun set, indicating the day was over, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. She fixed her grip around Cheedo and closed her eyes, hoping to get some rest. In the front, Max was wrapping his injured hand with sterile bandages, and broke the silence.

“So, um.” He cleared his throat before asking his question. “Where is this… this Green Place?”

“It’s a long night’s run, heading east,” Furiosa replied. Max nodded, ending the conversation there. “We need inventory. I want you to match every gun with its bullets. I’m gonna go and do some repairs.”

She shoved the bag of guns towards the wives’ legs. It didn’t matter which one did it, as long as it got done. Toast took the bag and began counting.

“We need someone down the back,” Max said.

“I’ll go,” Capable said.

“No,” Furiosa protested. “I want you to stay together.”

“I can do it,” Capable replied, grabbing a pair of binoculars. Furiosa did not fight her on it, and watched her leave the cabin to the rear turret to keep watch for approaching enemies. There, she found Nux, shaking from his failure and having Immortan Joe see his own Blood Bag driving the Rig that killed Angharad. Instead of throwing him out of the Rig again, Capable took pity on him, and comforted him.

Back in the cabin, Toast had finished inventory, and announced what they had left to Max.

“Well, we’ve only got four for Big Boy here, so he’s all but useless,” she said. “But, we can squirt off this little pinky a raunchy twenty-nine times.” She held up the handmade township pistol, swinging it to show Max. He glanced in the rear-view mirror at her.

“Angharad used to call them Antiseed,” Dag said.

“Plant one and watch something die,” Cheedo finished.

Loner rubbed Cheedo’s arm in comfort when she heard how hard Cheedo’s voice was. Cheedo sniffed and snuggled herself into Loner comfortably. Dag buried herself in Cheedo’s back, and Toast slid herself over to Loner after Loner beckoned her to come closer. Loner held Toast’s hand, then glanced over at Dag. She caressed her cheek to help her relax as well. For the moment, the wives were given the chance to get some rest after such a terrible day. And Loner was going to make sure that they got it.

* * *

Three hours later, the sun had set, and the blue of the moon illuminated the way. Furiosa had finished repairs, and Capable was back in the cabin with the sleeping wives. They were awoken, however, when the Rig began to slide side to side. Max stopped the Rig, and the tires got stuck in the mud. Everyone looked out the windows, and saw that they were caught in a quagmire.

All of them swiftly got out of the Rig and replaced the tires with the back-ups before getting back underway. It would only last for so long, however, before they got stuck again. They used panels from the Rig to stick under the tires to use as levers to get the Rig moving again. In the distance, they could hear shots of gunfire, and see a bright searchlight. Furiosa held the rifle in her hands, ready to fire at their enemy, when the Rig started moving again. Furiosa, Max, Loner, Toast, Cheedo, and Dag were all outside, with Capable in the cabin, though she didn’t know how to drive it. The lot of them began running after it.

“He wants to help!” Capable shouted at them.

“Who?!” Toast asked.

“The War Boy!”

“Where did he come from?!”

“I thought we threw him off the Rig!”

The Rig stopped again, and Max ran to the driver’s side, holding his gun on Nux.

“There’s high ground, just beyond that thing,” Nux said, his hands in the air.

“He means the tree,” Capable explains.

“Yeah, tree!”

The sound of gunfire only got louder and closer the longer that they stood around. Furiosa took Max’s place, and held the gun on Nux while Max took the rifle to take out the approaching Bullet Farmer. He fired once, and missed.

“You’ve got two left!” Toast reminded him.

Max fired once more, but again, he missed. Furiosa looked upon the horizon, and nodded her head to Loner, handing her the gun.

“On him.”

Loner took the gun and kept her aim on Nux while Furiosa went over to Max to take the shot for him. She balanced the rifle on his shoulder and took aim, telling him not to breathe. She fired, and took out the searchlight, blinding the Bullet Farmer in the process. As soon as she took the shot, Nux jumped from the Rig and ran to the front.

“Hey! Hey, hey!” Toast shouted. “War Boy!”

“I’m gonna use the winch around the tree thing,” he said, grabbing the hook and running towards the tree. Max ran after him to do it himself and told Nux to drive the Rig.

“Let’s get the engine plates,” Furiosa told the wives, handing the rifle back to Capable. Loner stood on the driver’s side step, and held onto the door to keep an eye on Nux.

Max went to wrap the winch around the tree, but it was too short. Nux had Capable use the bolt cutters to break off the rest of the chain around his wrist from when he was getting blood from Max.

“Blood Bag!” he yelled, handing him the chain. Max met him halfway and grabbed it, then tied it to the end of the hook to secure it around the tree. He waved his hand at the Rig, and Nux tried to move the Rig forward.

The Bullet Farmer’s nonsense cries could be heard clear as day as they went forward. He fired his guns at the Rig, not caring if they struck one of the wives or not. The bullets hit as far as the tree, causing the wives to duck and cover under the Rig and Max behind the tree. Nux carefully kept moving the Rig forward, with the tree being pulled out by the roots. Toast, Cheedo, and Dag ran out from under the Rig to beyond the tree, while Furiosa tried to help push the Rig onward.

Slowly but surely, Nux freed the Rig from the mud and moved it up to the high ground. He stopped however when the supercharger began smoking again.

“How are the engines?” Furiosa asked once she caught up.

“Very hot and real thirsty,” Nux replied.

Max took a jug of guzzoline, some mines, and a few smaller weapons from the Rig and began walking towards the Bullet Farmer.

“Hey,” he said, turning back around. “You need to take the War Rig half a klick down the track.”

“What if you’re not back by the time the engines have cooled?” Furiosa asked.

“Well you keep moving,” Max said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. And with that, he continued on his course.

“What do you suppose he’s gonna do?” Toast asked.

“Retaliate first,” Furisoa responded. “Let’s go!”

Just like he said, Furiosa drove the War Rig half a kilometre with Nux running in the front, telling her to keep going until he said. Once they were a safe distance away, Nux and Dag collected water in jugs before climbing onto the hood of the Rig and began cooling down the engines. Loner helped to refill water from the pump whenever Nux and Dag needed more. She would look in the distance where Max disappeared, and wondered how he was going to take out the pursuers.

Suddenly, there was an explosion. She whipped her head around and saw a brief cloud of fire dissipate like smoke in the wind. Crows cawed in surprise and flew away from the dying trees. Loner turned off the pump and took a step forward when she saw a silhouette approaching the Rig. Furiosa held up a gun in caution, but lowered it once she saw that it was Max.

He held a steering wheel in one hand and dragged a sack behind him with a single bandolier hanging from his shoulder. He panted as he came back to the Rig and handed Nux the wheel. He dropped everything else to the ground, and opened the sack to toss Nux a boot for his bare foot. Inside the sack were more guns and ammunition. He stood up and walked over to the tanker.

“Are you hurt?” Toast asked him. He grunted in response. “You’re bleeding.”

“That’s not his blood,” Furiosa tells her.

He hung his head over a pail, but it was not water.

“What is this?” he asked.

“It’s Mother’s Milk,” Dag said.

It took Max one second to figure out if it was okay or not to use it to wash his face. He put his hand inside and splashed it on his face to get rid of the blood. Everyone looked at him without judgement. He had just gotten rid of a dangerous hindrance for them, so he could wash his face with breast milk if he wanted to.

Once the engines were finally cool enough and everything was brought back inside, they began moving again. Instead of sitting in the cabin, Loner climbed out of the sunroof and sat on top. The sun was always too bright and hot, and she wanted to have some time to herself. She always preferred the moon over the sun, since it was prettier and she could look at it without blinding herself. The desert also provided chillier weather conditions, something she was not used to. She held her arms out to let the wind flow over her body. The cawing of crows became more pronounced, and one landed on her arm. She cocked her head to the side curiously.

As she looked around, all she saw was crows, dead trees, and stilt people. She wondered how that particular portion of land was riddled with dirty water and mud. She figured that anything was possible in the desert. The crow hopped on her arm, and fluttered its wings. Loner warily held out her finger to it. It chirped, but did not fly away. It let Loner gently move her finger up and down its beak and head. Loner smiled sadly. The crow spread its wings and flew away before she got any decent time to enjoy the company of a new friend. She waved goodbye as it landed on a nearby tree branch.

Loner sat on the roof of the cabin for hours, staying awake, admiring the night sky. Despite the ruin of the land around her, Loner saw the beauty even in the ugliest of things. If they were deserving of it, anyhow. Like Max. Even though he threatened Furiosa and the wives when he first appeared, he proved to possess a kind heart every time he helped them along the way to the Green Place. Loner grew fond of him, and pondered what his endgame was when they finally reached their place of solace.

Ultimately, Loner became weary after exerting a lot of energy and spending so much time awake. Yawning, she stood up and stretched her limbs, sighing happily as her joints cracked pleasurably. However, when she bent down to open the sunroof again, she slipped on her pant leg and fell off the Rig. She yelled in surprise, and landed face-first in the mud. The Rig skidded to a stop, and the wives went running after her. Max poked his head out of the window while Furiosa stepped outside to make sure she was alright.

“Are you okay?” Cheedo asked in a panic upon seeing Loner lying in the mud. Loner simply raised her arm and gave them a thumbs-up. She rose to her knees and gazed down at herself, then looked up at the wives. Upon seeing their concerned expressions, Loner began laughing. She could not believe she had just fallen off the Rig and landed face-first in the filth. Her laughter became contagious as the other wives joined in, allowing them a small bit of fun in the relentless wasteland.

Loner swiftly got to her feet and turned away from everyone as she took the water pump hose and washed herself off. She wrung out her hood and shook the wrap that covered her face. She was shivering by the time she was done, but shook it off and concealed her face once more. The wives helped her back into the cabin, and Loner was welcomed back by a small glare from Furiosa. Loner shrunk under her gaze and rubbed the back of her head.

“Sorry,” she signed.

Furiosa furrowed her brows at the gesture, unfamiliar with sign language.

“She said she’s sorry,” Capable said. Furiosa flitted her eyes at her. “We don’t know much except the basics. That’s why she never uses it.”

Furiosa nodded in understanding. Max was too busy keeping his eyes on the track to see Loner sign at Furiosa. But he caught what Capable said. His mind flashed back to the times where he would watch Glory speak in sign language to the woman that never spoke. It made him smile a smidge.

It would be the only moment of happiness he would get for the remainder of the journey.


	5. Many Mothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They wives reach their destination, but are met with despair.

The wives slept during the day and Furiosa took her shift of driving the Rig. She drove through smooth sand hills, with the midday sun beating down on them. Loner groaned from her dream and slightly opened her eyes. Max was still asleep, and Furiosa was wide awake. She turned her head and saw Capable laying comfortably against Nux. Dag had her feet up on the driver’s seat, while Cheedo and Toast were snuggled securely on either side of Loner. She yawned and closed her eyes, but peeked them open again when Max abruptly woke up.

“Sleep,” Furiosa said softly. “Get some rest.”

Max settled down rather quickly, and shook off his fatigue. He remained awake, however, watching the path Furiosa was on. Eventually, he spoke up again about his doubts, with Loner quietly listening in.

“How do you know this place even exists?”

“I was born there.”

“So why’d you leave?”

“I didn’t. I was taken as a child. Stolen.”

“You done this before?”

“Many times. Now that I drive a War Rig, this is the best shot I’ll ever have.”

“And them?”

“They’re looking for hope.”

“What about you?”

“…Redemption.”

Loner witnessed their small exchange, and took note of how soft Furiosa’s voice was. It was the gentlest she’s ever heard her speak. It seemed that whatever the Green Place was, it was truly special, and not just because Furiosa was born there. Loner didn’t ruin the moment, since there was absolutely no need to reveal herself. It was not a private conversation, but Loner thought it to be intimate, and therefore it would be rude to bring her own opinion into it. She did, however, wake up the other wives minutes later so they could face the day.

When they reached higher ground, Max stopped the Rig so Furiosa could use a pair of binoculars made from a tower viewer to see into the distance, searching for any sign of life. The wives gazed upon the horizon, and Toast spoke up when she saw something.

“Hey, what’s that?”

Furiosa turned to her right and focused the binoculars on a lone transmission tower. The sun shined upon the steel and reflected metal stars that hung from the cross arms.

“I remember something like that,” Furiosa said, a smile on her face.

Max brought the Rig as close as he could to the transmission tower before he stopped halfway. A naked woman was perched on top, screaming out for help.

“Uh, uh,” Max said. “That’s bait.”

“Stay in the Rig,” Furiosa said as she hopped out herself. She held her arms out as she addressed the sand hills. “I am one of the Vuvalini! Of the Many Mothers! My initiate Mother was K.T. Concannon! I am the daughter of Mary Jo Bassa. My clan, was Swaddle Dog!”

The naked woman stood up and yodeled in the distance. Then, out from the hills, seven women appeared on motorcycles. The naked woman slid down the tower and threw a dress on herself before running up to Furiosa. The wives, Max, and Nux looked on curiously as Furiosa reunited and conversed with them. Loner remained in the Rig for a moment as the other wives and Nux left the cabin down into the sand. If Furiosa deemed these foreign women as safe, then Loner could trust them. But she was nervous, nonetheless.

She leapt down from the Rig while Max remained inside. She crouched low to the ground, and crawled forward towards them with the other wives. The sand was hot and unwelcome on her hands and feet, but she ignored the sensation the closer she got to them. Once she saw how gentle they were being with the others, she stood up tall, and side-stepped to them.

“Where did you find such creatures?” one of the women asked, holding Cheedo’s hand. “So soft.”

“This one has all her teeth!” another one said, opening Dag’s mouth. The women shared a laugh with one another. One of the women approached Loner, and took Loner’s hand in her own. Loner stared deep into the woman’s eyes, and all she felt was kindness and security. She smiled, even though the woman couldn’t see it. The crinkles around Loner’s eyes was the only sign the woman needed to know she was happy.

“I can’t for them to see it,” Furiosa said, content.

“See?” one of them said. “See what?”

“Home,” Furiosa explained. “The Green Place.”

“But if you came from the West,” another said, “you passed it.”

“The crows,” Dag said. “The creepy place with all the crows.

Furiosa’s smile diminished and she shook her head in disbelief and confusion as the Vuvalini explained what ultimately happened to the Green Place and the Many Mothers.

“The soil–“

“We had to get out.”

“We had no water.”

“The water was filth.”

“It was poisoned. It was sour.”

“And then the crows came.”

“We couldn’t grow anything.”

“Where are the others?”

“What others?”

“The Many Mothers?”

“We’re the only ones left.”

Furiosa’s eyes went blank as she began walking away from everyone. She couldn’t believe her ears. She did not want to believe that her home of lush and green was eaten away by the Wasteland and instead turned into a poisonous, ravenous, crow-filled bog. Her breath caught in her chest, and her eyes glassed over. She undid the buttoning that kept her metal arm in place and let it fall into the sand. She took a few more steps before she sunk to her knees, and screamed into the void.

Loner cried for her. She had a vague idea about what it was like to lose something so precious and important in your life without knowing it for so long. She recently learned about the mother and child she used to know, and although she didn’t remember much about them, she knew that they meant the world to her. She sniffled loudly, and was comforted by the Mother that stood by her.

The wives, Mothers, Max, and Nux all let Furiosa have a moment to herself to let the news of the loss of her homeland sink in. It was unbearable news for the wives as well that they would not be residing in Furiosa’s homeland, filled with crops and clean water, and free from imprisonment. Which meant that they had to figure out a whole new plan, since going back to the Citadel was not a viable option for them. Nonetheless, they had a whole day to determine their new course of action.

As Furiosa continued to weep crouched over in the sand, Loner took the initiative to go over to her and bring her to her feet. She stood in front of her, and held out her hand. Furiosa raised her head, her tears washing away the dirt from her face. Loner had wiped away the last of her tears, and expressed her condolences as much as she could. She stretched her hand out farther so Furiosa would take it. Even though her heart ached for what she lost, Furiosa grabbed Loner’s hand and let Loner pull her to her feet.

Silently, Loner brought Furiosa back to the wives and Many Mothers, and retrieved Furiosa’s mechanical arm. She didn’t put it back on right away, though. The Many Mothers consoled Furiosa further, since they knew the pain and anguish she was experiencing. The wives spoke amongst one another, all of them pondering what was going to happen to them since the Green Place was no longer sustainable.

Luckily, the Many Mothers had an idea in mind.

* * *

In the hours before nightfall, the wives learned the names and stories of the Many Mothers: Valkryie, The Keeper of the Seeds, Melita, Gillian, Joy, Antoinette, and Maddi. They all grew up together in the Green Place and had their own initiating Mothers and clan, just like Furiosa did. They told the wives stories of their childhood, their friends at the time, and how beautiful and impressive their home really was. The fruit, the flowers, the trees, and the magnificent sunsets. How they dreamed of flying to easily eliminate their enemies, to call themselves “Rotoraider”s, but it never came to fruition.

In return, the wives shared their own names with the Mothers, and a bit of their stories. How they were picked from the Wretched to become breeders. Maddi asked Loner why she had her face covered, but she just shyly turned away.

“Loner doesn’t speak,” Toast explained. “Never uttered a word since the day we met her.”

“’Loner’?”

“The name we picked for her. Because she likes to be alone.”

The Mothers found Loner’s muteness and behaviour strange, but they paid it no mind. They were just glad that there were more survivors in the desert. And that they had Furiosa to look over them.

The wives led the Mothers to the tanker and opened the hatch so they could share the water and produce they brought along with them. Furiosa was silent, which was understandable given the devastating news, but all of the wives–especially Capable–made sure to make her smile at least once. It may not have been much, but at least she had part of her family returned to her.

By then, Max had exited the Rig since he deemed it a good time to come out. Furiosa had already cleared him of being a threat to the Mothers, telling them that he, along with Nux, helped her and the wives get to them. The Mothers studied him since they still had some doubts, but after spending a few minutes with him and hearing Nux’s story about him, their anxiety lessened. Furiosa’s witty one-liners about Max aided in the Mothers’ uncomfortableness.

The longer Loner stared at Max, the more familiar he became. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, where she had seen him before. She was not shy when she eyed him for a few minutes at a time: when he was helping to unload produce from the tanker, when he did another inventory count, when he was speaking with the Mothers, even when he was just staring off into the distance. Loner was fond of him, but her unknown relation to him was still a mystery to her. Max noticed, of course, that Loner kept her eyes on him. The reason for it, he did not know. But he had a strange feeling about her. Not necessarily an unpleasant feeling, but he did come to the conclusion that she had an eccentric interest in him.

He wasn’t going to do anything about it.

When the wives and Mothers were all within hearing shot, Furiosa discussed the future with them. They could not go back to where they came. But luck was on their side. They had multiple motorcycles, water, produce, and gas. Furiosa suggested that they take everything that they had, put them on the motorcycles, and ride across the salt lands in search of another home. They spoke about the pros and cons, the dangers and aspirations. In the end, they were all on board and agreed to ride out in the morning.

Loner did not speak up about her own worries, since it would not have had made a difference. The other wives were desperate to find something new and sustainable, and did not want to waste a perfectly good opportunity to do so. Loner would not go against their objections, but she had no other choice either. It was their best bet at a better life.

Within an hour, nighttime fell and the wives bundled up, then sat with the Mothers in the sand, talking about nothing and everything. Loner sat off by herself, away from everyone, at the forefront of the Rig, farther ahead of Max. She did not hear the others’ conversations. All she did was stare up at the sky, and trace the stars with her finger in the air. She recognized certain constellations, but did not know that that was what they were. She saw the same shapes and figures that she did as a child, like a pot, a lion, a bear, and an archer. It was a small comfort.

She heard a quiet conversation between Furiosa and Max. Furiosa fully supported Max’s decision to join them if he wanted to. But he decided to choose his own path. Loner’s shoulders slumped at his confession. She did not want to lose anyone else, but if that was what Max wanted, then there was nothing she could do to stop him. He was his own man, and could take care of himself.

A soft breeze roamed over the sand hills, making Loner’s legs itch. She hated how the minuscule grains could sneak into every pintsize crevice it could find without fail. She dusted off her skin and stood up, stretching her limbs. She began walking out into the distance, but not straying too far from the camp site. She kept going and going until the Rig was toy-sized in the distance before stopping. She rose her arms in the air, and let the cool winds brush over her body.

The Wasteland might have been the hottest place on the planet, but it had its perks at night.

Loner might have had goosebumps from shivering, but she reveled in it; so much that she removed her mask and took off her top, letting them fall to the sand. She kept her hands up and closed her eyes, and began swaying side-to-side. The winds prickled at her sensitive skin, and she breathed in deeply. The air never felt so good rushing down her throat.

She threaded her fingers through her hair, and groaned in pleasure. She hadn’t felt that free in a very long time. The moment she left the Citadel with Furiosa and the other wives she was free in a sense, but it was nothing compared to that one moment of true tranquility. No commands, no uproar, no tyranny. Just peace.

She spent a good amount of time in the distance by herself. So much so that when she returned to camp, most of them had gone to sleep already. She rubbed her arms to warm her skin, and tightened the knot of her mask behind her face. The only remaining people awake were Max, Furiosa, and Toast.

“Had enough of the chills?” Furiosa asked, handing Loner a blanket. Loner simply nodded and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, sighing contently.

“Get some sleep. It’ll be a long day tomorrow.”

Loner nodded again and gave Max a kind glance before climbing into the Rig with the other wives (except Capable, who stayed in the turret with Nux). They moved around to make room for her, with Toast following right behind. Loner opened her blanket and laid it across the wives’ lap, as did Cheedo with hers. They cuddled together, sharing their warmth, and hoped for a better tomorrow.

* * *

An hour after sunrise, the women and Nux loaded up the motorcycles with as much as they could from the Rig. Loner was less than happy that Max would not be going with them. She did not like the idea of leaving him behind, but she could not change his decision. If that was what Max wanted, then she had no right in stopping from. Still, whenever she glanced at him, it would be in sadness, disappointment, or anxiety. She could only imagine what else the Wasteland had in store for him. As she sat on the back of Antoinette’s bike, she hoped that Max would mount his and follow them into the Plains of Silence. But he did not. She raised a hand and waved at him goodbye as they rode out to search for their new home.

Unpredictably however, Max caught up with them, and zoomed in at the head of the formation to stop everyone. Loner smiled under her mask. Max dismounted his bike and pulled out a piece of cloth from his arm brace, placing it in front of Furiosa.

“All right,” he said, pointing to Immortan Joe’s symbol on the rag. “This is your way home.”

“We go back?” Furiosa surmised, shocked that he would suggest it.

“Mm,” Max grunted.

“Back?” Toast said.

“I thought you weren’t insane anymore,” Dag said.

“What are they saying?” Maddi asked, standing up from her motorcycle.

“He wants to go back from where they came,” Joy answered.

“The Citadel,” Furiosa clarified.

“What’s there to find at the Citadel?” Gillian asked.

“Green,” Max said.

“And water,” Toast added. “There’s a ridiculous amount of clear water. And a lot of crops.”

“It’s got everything you need. As long as you’re not afraid of heights,” Dag pitched in.

“Where does the water come from?” Keeper asked.

“He pumps it up from deep in the earth,” Toast said. “Calls it Aqua Cola and claims it for himself.”

“And because he owns it, he owns all of us,” Dag added.

“I don’t like him already,” Keeper said.

“It’ll take two weeks to skirt the Wall of Mountains,” Valkryie surmised.

“No. I suggest we go back the same way we came,” Max said. “Through the canyon.”

Furiosa was visibly uneasy about the thought of going back through the hell that they had already gone through, but everyone kept making good points. Mainly Toast.

“It’s open. We know that, right?,” Toast said. “He brought all his war parties through.”

“So we take the War Rig and we charge it right through the middle off them,” Max suggested. “We can decouple the tanker at the pass. Shut it off behind us.”

“Kaboom!” Keeper smiled, making everyone chuckle.

“And how exactly do we take the Citadel?” Furiosa sighed. “Assuming we’re still alive by then.”

“If we can block the pass, it’ll be easy,” Toast told her. “All that’s left are his War Pups and War Boys too sick to fight.”

“And we’ll be with Nux,” Capable spoke up. “He’s a War Boy. He’ll be bringing us home. Bringing back what’s stolen, as he’s meant to.”

Everyone turned around to glance at Nux to hear what he had to say.

“Feels like hope,” he said.

“I like this plan. We can start again, just like the old days,” Keeper said, with Valkryie pulling her into a side hug.

“Look,” Max started, tucking away his map, “it’ll be a hard day. But I guarantee you that a 160 days’ ride that way… there’s nothing but salt. At least that way, you know… we might be able to, together, come across some kind of redemption.”

After considering the plan and all the repercussions involved, Furiosa ultimately took Max’s hand in agreement, determination in her eyes. It was a risky, noble plan, but a worthwhile plan nonetheless. With a little bit of cooperation and hardened resolve, they all had what it took to take back the Citadel and free the Wretched.


	6. The Return to Nowhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle for the Citadel began, and Loner came to terms with her past.

Loner was perhaps the one most excited about the new plan to return to the Citadel to take it over. The odds were against them, and they were outnumbered, but she had hope. Hope that they would all return in one piece, and be able to live together peacefully, under the guide and care of Furiosa. And Max, if he chose to stay with them.

They all rode back to the Rig on the sand hill to execute their new course of action. They used just one motorcycle, with Valkyrie and Maddi riding it. The rest of them climbed back into the Rig, with Furiosa driving. The wives situated themselves in the backseat, along with Nux and Keeper. Max sat shotgun, while the other Mothers positioned themselves in the rear and front turrets. Armed and loaded, but also filled with anxiety, Furiosa started the Rig, and turned around to go back from whence they came.

The road to redemption was a long one. Taking the path they came from meant that they would travel through the bog, which was once the Green Place. The atmosphere changed from silence to solemnness as they passed through it. Keeper whispered to Dag things she once remembered from certain areas of the poisoned land. Loner instinctively glanced at Furiosa as she drove through the muddy terrain. She knew that Furiosa had most likely put it behind her, but she couldn’t help but still want to cry for her. Loner wished that she could’ve seen what Furiosa did as a child before the Wasteland decimated it.

Everyone got a decent amount of sleep during the ride, along with staying hydrated and fed. No one ever spoke a word, other than the occasional polite mutter of a “thank you”. Dag prayed most of the time, using her hands, to anyone that would be listening. Loner smiled, knowing that they would need all the help and luck they could get for their predicament. But no matter what she thought, the deep gut feeling in her told her that everything would be all right.

She just hoped it would be without losing anyone in the process.

Day turned into night, then back into day. The mood in the Rig was tense, to say the least. Loner wouldn’t stop bouncing her knee in anticipation. They all wanted to get the day over with, but not without getting a little action in it. They all had a fighting spirit in them that wouldn’t be satisfied until they accomplished their goal.

Furiosa stopped the Rig when she came upon a big hill overlooking the land. Max stood up on his seat, and used the binoculars to search the horizon for any sign of Immortan Joe’s forces. It was quiet, both inside the Rig, and down the dusty hills. Max sat back down when the coast was clear, and Furiosa put the Rig in gear.

“Let’s do this.”

Loner clenched her teeth. The closer they got to the familiar road back to the Citadel, the more her heart burned. She had never felt so sick and ecstatic in her life. It made her stomach queasy. She turned to Dag. Dag stared back at her, pondering what Loner was thinking. Without hesitation, Loner held her face and kissed her forehead gingerly. Dag’s eyes widened in curiosity, but she did not protest. Loner did the same to Toast, Capable, and Cheedo. She reached over and grasped Keeper’s hand, squeezing tightly. She did the same to Nux. Then she leaned forward and grasped Furiosa’s and Max’s shoulders. They both looked from Loner’s hands on their shoulders to her face. Loner gave them one distinguishable look:

Trust.

They nodded to her and then each other as they all heard Immortan Joe’s forces revving up behind them. A harpoon was shot at the front turret of the Rig, and Gillian shot back at them. Slit, Nux’s former lancer, shot at Max from the hood of Max’s modified Interceptor, now dubbed as “Razor Cola”.

“That’s mine!” Max yelled as he continued shooting.

Slit spat fuel into the injector hat to outrun the Rig, and hid behind the twin superchargers to protect himself from Max’s bullets. Razor Cola pushed ahead, evening out with the Rig.

“He’ll try to get in front of us,” Furiosa said. “Spike our wheels.”

At that realization, Nux grabbed a fuel can and climbed out from the cabin to prevent Slit from getting ahead of them.

“Don’t blow my engine,” Furiosa warned.

“Gonna nudge him,” Nux replied. “Just a little.”

Nux situated himself behind the Rig’s own superchargers and spat fuel into the injector hat to keep the Rig in the lead. Furiosa watched painfully as the R.P.M. needle pushed forward past forty. She knew that if Nux kept it up, the engine would blow and they’d be at a serious disadvantage.

“You filth!” Slit screamed at Nux. “You traitored him!”

Nux ignored him and kept fueling the Rig with gas, but Slit managed to push the Razor Cola in front of the Rig, and dropped several spike strips. Furiosa swerved to avoid them, but one caught the front right tire. She pushed on. Max climbed out of the sunroof and took Nux’s place when it was clear he couldn’t take any more. Max and Slit battled for the lead; luckily, Maddi raced forward on her bike while Valkryie shot Slit’s driver. They veered off to the right, with Keeper cackling excitedly.

Max went back to the cabin when one threat was taken care of. He watched as the R.P.M. needle for engine one went all the way back to zero.

“Gotta back off,” Furiosa told him. “Engine one is gone. Two’s about to blow.”

“Right,” Max said. He turned his attention to Nux. “Are you a Black Thumb?”

“Uh huh,” Nux affirmed.

“All right. Engine one, now,” he told Nux. Then he pointed at Antoinette who was hanging onto the outside of the cabin. “Me and you, fifth wheel. We’ll unhook the tanker.”

The three of them went away, leaving the cabin feeling slightly empty. Loner tried not to look back. She knew that seeing the gravity of the situation would only make her doubt the mission. So she kept her eyes forward, and stayed put, no matter how much she wanted to help.

Behind them, Valkryie used a Thunderstick to take out one of the vehicles, but a War Boy whipped her and Maddi with a flail and sent them flying into the sand. Valkryie tried to shoot at Immortan Joe, but her bullets weren’t strong enough. She kept trying, but the People Eater ran her and Maddi over with his limousine, killing them both.

Coming up the rear, Bullet Farm boys shot harpoons into the back of the tanker and dropped plows to slow them down. It shook the Rig, jerking the wives forward. Loner could barely resist the urge to just look behind them already. She wanted to know what the hell was going on. But she didn’t. She just sat in her seat and stared ahead.

Joy shot and killed one of the boys, but the others kept firing their harpoons. Gillian exited the turret to tell Max what was going on.

“Hey! Harpoons and plows! They’re hauling us back!”

Max immediately grabbed the bolt cutters and climbed the tanker to unlatch the harpoons. Capable stuck her head out the window and watched Max’s retreating back.

“What’s going on?” Dag asked her.

“Harpoons are holding us back,” she said, sitting back down. “He’s gonna get rid of them.”

Hearing that made Loner sick to her stomach, if she wasn’t already. Max was a strong, hard-headed man. If anyone could do it and not die, he could. She silently told Max she trusted him. She could not let that waver, not even for a moment. Otherwise, it might prompt her to do something stupid.

One of the harpoon vehicles rounded the right end of the tanker and shot two of them. They both connected with the cabin, and nearly took Toast’s head off. The wives screamed in shock from the impact and Toast shuffled over to the side to avoid the sharpened hook. Antoinette shot at the driver, killing him. Their vehicle violently turned on its side, and ripped away a quarter of the cabin as it exploded behind them. Antoinette got sent flying from the Rig, ending one more life of the Mothers. Toast nearly got dragged out again, and screamed once more in fear.

Max managed to cut away all the harpoons, but the Gas Town boys moved ahead with their Polecats. Max mounted the rear turret, but one of the Polecats used a Thunderstick and flung him onto the hood of the tanker. He and Joy fought off the Polecats once they mounted the Rig. However, more of them pushed ahead. One dropped a sparkling grenade in the cabin while another used a pole noose to hook around Furiosa’s neck. Keeper stood up and smacked the man away, but a different man swung up behind her and used his chainsaw to attack her head. She shakily sat back down as Furiosa shot the man dead and threw the grenade out the window.

“Are you okay?” Toast asked Keeper, leaning forward. Keeper did not answer. “I think she’s hurt.”

Keeper reached behind her for her bag of seeds. Dag picked it up and placed it in her lap. Keeper clung to the bag and breathed through the pain.

Loner was getting incredibly impatient. People were dying left and right, and she could barely take it anymore. Keeper was hurt, Antoinette was gone, and by the looks of it, so were Valkryie and Maddi since they hadn’t come around again. She clutched Cheedo’s hand a little too hard. She was shaking with anger. She struggled to keep her cool. She wanted to help out so badly, but it ran the risk of being captured or killed. And she wasn’t okay with that. But the fact that Max was basically fighting the war by himself? That’s what fueled her fury.

One by one, Polecat by Polecat descended upon the Rig to be everyone’s undoing. Armed with chainsaws and everything of the like. They were a force to be reckoned with. And one by one, Max got rid of them. However, one of them shot a spike at his face, but he protected himself at the last second with his hand. It still made contact, nonetheless. He fell down, shaken and dazed.

Absolutely irritated with what was going on, Furiosa took the knife from the gearshift and flung it at the approaching Polecat with a roar. Gillian threw him under the Rig the moment he was struck in the shoulder. Unbeknownst to them, he hung on.

Two Polecats drove up on either side of the Rig, one of them swinging down and grabbing Toast. Furiosa and the wives yelled in protest, but they couldn’t get her back. She boarded Immortan Joe’s Gigahorse safely, away from the rest of them.

That did it.

Without a second thought, Loner stood up and jumped up onto the remaining hood of the cabin, ignoring the wives’ and Furiosa’s objections. A Polecat advanced from the tanker with a pick axe in hand. Narrowing her eyes, she charged him, ducking when he swung at her. She grabbed his wrist, and kneed him in the abdomen until his grip loosened. She took the pick axe and swung at him without hesitation. The small road sign he used as a shield was no match for her aggression. She ripped out his throat, his blood spewing like a fountain. She kicked his body away just as Max sat up after being hit.

His eyes widened at the scene she just made, but also behind her at the Polecats threatening to kill Furiosa. He jumped forward onto the cabin, and used one of the men as a shield while the other cut him open with his chainsaw. The two of them fell to the ground, and Max was well on his way too but Furiosa’s quick reflexes were able to catch his ankle. Loner’s heart jumped out of her chest as she watched. The other wives tried to help him up, but he was too heavy, and it was more difficult while he was hanging upside down.

She went over to try to help, but she was too high up and needed to keep her new weapon. She couldn’t jump like Max had done before. Helplessly, she watched as their enemies drew nearer and nearer. Then, she heard a terrifying scream from Furiosa. She forced herself to take the leap, and used the pick axe as an anchor to hang on. She stared in horror as she saw the knife from the gearshift planted into her side. Loner shifted around and still saw Max dangling from the driver’s side, with Furiosa holding onto him for dear life.

Loner reached her arm out, but she couldn’t touch him. The Rig began to be sandwiched from the other vehicles, but Nux did his job well and got engine one up and running. The Rig pulled ahead of the others, but the Razor Cola surprisingly zipped in from behind with Slit driving it. He pointed at Max menacingly as he squeezed between the Rig and the People Eater’s limousine, gaining speed. Furiosa glared at him over her shoulder, and yelled frustratingly as she slammed the Rig into the Razor Cola, crunching it into the limousine. It hitched the front tire and flipped on its side. Slit’s ecstasy filled scream of “Valhalla” filled the air as the Razor Cola burst into flames.

Nux clung to the bottom of the Rig and kicked Max onto the People Eater’s limousine. Loner stood up again and went back to the tanker. She hung onto the turret and watched Max try to maneuver to the driver’s side. Melita shot the gunman down, allowing Max a safer passage. He quickly punched the driver and threw him out before kicking the People Eater in the face. Wasting no time, he drove the limousine ahead of the Gigahorse–which was currently blocking the Rig’s path–to use the choking smoke from the flames as a screen to allow Furiosa and Max could trade places.

She drove up beside him so he could escape without much of a hassle. But the limousine was doused in flames, and was ready to blow. Cheedo leant out of the cabin to tell Max about Furiosa’s condition.

“She’s hurt!” she told him. “She’s hurt real bad!”

Just then, the limousine’s tankers caught fire and was destabilizing rapidly. Max moved the now dead People Eater’s foot on the gas pedal before slipping out of the cabin and jumping back onto the Rig. The wives went to grab him, but a Polecat beat them to it. He grabbed Max and kept him hanging inches above the ground. Loner grabbed the hard metal beneath her fingers, scared out of her mind for him. But she did not have time to worry about him. Another Polecat boarded the Rig at the rear turret. He was armed with his own dagger and rushed at Loner.

She yelled with each blow she managed to land. Her fighting skills were still very much active, and allowed her to elude the Polecat swiftly. She managed to kick his dagger away and gained the upper hand. But he was just as good as her, if not better. He dodged her attacks without much effort, but she was nimbler. She got him on his back and was about to deliver the final blow. However, in the background, the People Eater’s limousine finally succumbed to the damage and exploded in a raging fire. It distracted her for a moment, but a moment was all the Polecat needed.

He smacked her across the face, causing her to drop the pick axe. She fell backwards, and he sat on her torso and began landing blows to her face. And with every punch, she earned a flashback.

Punch. Venus and Glory.

Punch. Looter.

Punch. Scabbers.

Punch. Feta.

Punch. Leaf.

Punch.

Max.

When the sudden and crushing realization dawned upon her, she screamed at the top of her lungs and used all her strength to push the Polecat off of her. She crawled on top of him and elbowed him in the throat multiple times before shoving his body off the Rig. Her face was in a world of pain, but she ignored it. She ripped off her mask and wiped away the blood from her face. She saw Max was still on one of the Polecat’s poles, and could not get back to the Rig. He let go over on the Doof Wagon. Loner stood up as the tears rushed down her face from regaining her memories regarding her past family. Including Max. He was there with her. He showed up unexpectedly, and helped her and her family. She remembered his kindness, his selflessness, and his courage. She admired him, and treasured him as a friend. Then it was all cruelly taken away.

Balling her hands into tight fists, she breathed in deeply and spoke for the very first time in a long time, shrieking and elongating one word.

“Max!”

Her voice echoed and reached Max’s ears. He turned around, and when he saw who she truly was… his heart shattered. He recognized her immediately. She was the one that got taken; the one that slipped through his fingers. Who cried for him. They stared at each other for a moment, reminiscing in old times they wished they would go back to. But they would have to focus on that later. Like a switch, the both of them made their moves on their respective vehicle.

Loner jumped from the tanker to the cabin once more and reached her arm out.

“Give me the grenades!” she said with urgency. The wives started, surprised that she spoke, before Cheedo hurriedly shoved the inventory bag in her hands. Loner took it and once more returned to the tanker. She grabbed a red stripped grenade and released the safety pin, then threw it as far as she could at a Polecat. It exploded quickly and with a bang, just how she liked it. Red, green, or yellow, the type of grenade did not matter. As long as she kept throwing them and hitting targets, it was good enough for her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that they were nearing the canyon once more. She saved two grenades for the finale.

She lowered herself in a crouch as Furiosa drove up beside the Gigahorse and rammed into it. Immortan Joe did the same, and powered ahead of the Rig once more. He slammed on the brakes, jerking the Rig forward. Loner nearly fell off the tanker, but grabbed the edge of the walkway at the last second. She pulled herself up, just as Furiosa exited the Rig to move Immortan Joe out of the way herself.

Loner looked behind her, and saw Max still on the Doof Wagon. He looked straight at her, and then ahead at Furiosa climbing the front of the Rig to board the Gigahorse. Loner rapidly shoved the inventory bag in the front turret before going to the back to help Max get back to the Rig. An Imperator shot at Max, but he fended him off using the Doof Warrior as protection. Loner stood and hung onto the roof of the rear turret, watching Max fight like his life depended on it.

At the front, Furiosa clung to the back of the Gigahorse, but struggled to pull herself up. Her wound was hindering her immensely. Max watched on anxiously while hitting the Imperator off the vehicle. Furiosa used one of Immortan Joe’s Thundersticks to blow out the back of the Gigahorse’s windshield. Loner took one small glimpse behind her before slamming her hand on the turret hardly.

“Come on!” she screamed at Max.

Elbowing the Doof Warrior in the face, Max moved forward and jumped from the Doof Wagon to the back of the tanker, clinging to the rear turret. Loner crawled through the open windshield to haul him in, but a War Boy and another Imperator jumped after him. His grip gave way, making Loner’s heart sink. But she stuck her head out and extended her arms to him.

“Grab on!”

Loner was too focused on helping Max that she didn’t notice a third Imperator appear from behind the blaring speakers. He fired two large wooden spikes at Loner, which struck her in her right shoulder. She shot back in pain and yelled in agony. Max heard her cries and quickly got rid of the two lackeys. He grabbed hold of the turret and pulled himself inside, just as the Imperator driving the Doof Wagon rear-ended the tanker.

He hovered his hands over Loner’s body, contemplating what to do. Loner breathed through the pain and toughed it out, but her eyes said anything but, and Max could see it.

“I’m fine,” she gritted through her teeth. She raised her hand and grasped the first spike, then tore it out with a shout. She did the same to the other, and tossed them away. She was bleeding profusely, but she shoved Max’s arm.

“Go,” she groaned, shifting around. “I’m all right. You’re not going to lose me again. Now _go_.”

Heeding her words, Max grunted in agreement and snuck out the turret. As the situation became direr the closer they got to the canyon, Cheedo stood up as she saw Rictus emerge from the Gigahorse. She climbed out of the cabin and stood on the hood. She stuck her arm out to him.

“Rictus! Take me!”

Rictus hauled her body onto the Gigahorse without a problem. He glared at everyone in the cabin of the Rig, intent on retrieving Dag and Capable next.

Loner forced herself to leave the turret when she saw what was going on with the wives. The pain was unbearable, but she powered through it in order to live. Joy ran over when she saw Rictus threatening to take Dag by force. She hit him in the face with her gun, but he easily thwarted her and threw her off the Rig. Max picked up a skull from the turret to use against Rictus. On the Gigahorse, Cheedo leant over the back to help Furiosa get on.

“Here!” she said, pulling Furiosa up. Rictus was about to take Furiosa down, but Max threw the skull at Rictus’ head, distracting his childish mind. While Max fought off Rictus, Furiosa battled with Immortan Joe’s second-hand Imperator. Loner wobbled to the front turret once again to grab the inventory bag. She took the yellow striped grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it at the Doof Wagon. A hundred rubber balls escaped from the inside, bouncing in all directions. It stunned the Coma-Doof Warrior into submission, and the rest ricocheted between the Doof Wagon and the Rig. Two of them struck Loner in the leg, and she screamed from the sting. But the adrenaline that coursed through her veins allowed her to move along.

Up ahead, Furiosa threw the Imperator from the Gigahorse, and Melita shot at Rictus’ breathing apparatus. Max then grabbed one of the canisters and used it to beat Rictus in the head. When he was subdued, he mounted the cabin of the Rig, then jumped onto the hood as he saw Furiosa hanging onto the side of the Gigahorse. Immortan Joe went to shoot her, but Toast held him back. Furiosa took the chance to fire a harpoon, which caught Immortan Joe’s mask. She pulled him back and scowled at him.

“Remember me?”

Max jumped once again, this time onto the Gigahorse to help Furiosa. She let go of the chain. It wrapped around the rear tire painfully, and effectively ripped the mask off of Immortan Joe’s face, killing him. Consequently, Furiosa lost her mechanical arm, but she held on to the car tightly. Max then reached down to her in the knick of time and pulled her back up. Cheedo stood up and shouted in relief.

“He’s dead! He’s dead!”

At Cheedo’s proclaim, the wives began leaving the Rig to mount the Gigahorse. Dag first, and then Capable. Dag paused and retrieved Keeper’s seed bag, and gave her a silent goodbye. Keeper died with a smile still on her face. Melita and Gillian urged Capable and Loner on.

“Come on! Hurry! We’re nearly at the pass!”

Capable lingered beside Nux, worried about his safety. But he had no qualms about what he needed to do.

“When you’re across safe, I’ll jam the throttle and follow you,” he told her.

It was the only answer Capable was going to get. And she took it in stride. She ascended the cabin and followed right behind Dag. Loner willed herself to ignore the pain as she took the final grenade from the inventory bag before slowly making her way across the cabin as well. Her legs were shaky and her breath was short, but Capable outstretched her hand for Loner to take. From behind, Rictus emerged after being disoriented, and lunged after Loner. But Nux hit the brakes to prevent him from doing so. Capable roughly pulled Loner aboard. She hit the metal agonizingly, and clutched her wounded shoulder. She gently laid the last grenade down, and lifted herself up to see Nux come along.

He jammed the throttle like he told Capable, but Rictus ripped the Rig’s superchargers out of the hood. It caught fire, and Rictus held it up high in the air, belting his strength. Nux could not escape Rictus’ wrath. So instead of joining the others, he pointed at Capable and whispered:

“Witness me.”

As the Gigahorse passed through the canyon, Loner sat up and used her teeth to pull the pin of the last grenade, and threw it just as Nux flipped the Rig on its side. All of Immortan Joe’s forces blew up in a fiery rage, thousands of pieces of metal flying through the air.

Finally, they were free.


	7. Brothers in Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The perilous journey on the Fury Road finally came to an end.

After escaping and defeating Immortan Joe and his forces, the wives, Max, Melita, and Gillian gathered in the cab of the Gigahorse with Gillian driving them into the rising sun. The lot of them hovered over Furiosa as she continued to lose blood. Loner tore her other pant leg and tied it around her own shoulder to try and stop the bleeding. It was not as serious as she deemed it to be, but blood still fell. She situated herself to Furiosa’s left, and watched as the colour drained from her face. Max shot Loner a worrying glance, but Loner waved him off.

“Focus on her,” she mumbled. She pressed her left hand onto her shoulder wounds, hoping the pressure will help her live a little longer. Her face throbbed painfully, bearing a gruesome black eyes and two cuts on her cheek. She was beat up and bruised, but she chose to give her attention to Furiosa.

With each unbearable breath, Furiosa croaked terribly.

“Why is she making that noise?” Cheedo asked Melita with tears in her eyes.

“She’s pumping air into her chest cavity,” Melita answered. “She’s collapsing her lungs, one breath at a time.”

Toast, Capable, Dag, and Cheedo all looked on tearfully. Their hearts ached for Furiosa, since she was the one that saved them from the damning life they all had. She was the one who took them on this adventure, this journey, to bring them to a better, healthier life. And she gave her life to her mission. To them.

Max hurriedly searched for something sharp, and when he found a steel knife he positioned it against Furiosa’s left side.

“I am so sorry.”

He punctured her skin, and she gasped for air. Her newest wound allowed her to breathe, but only for so long. He then placed a rag in Loner’s hands.

“Put that on there,” he instructed, referring to her entry wound. “Press it in.” Loner nodded and pressed it there with all her might.

“Hey,” Max smiled as Furiosa opened her eyes.

“Home,” she breathed. Max cradled her head in his hands, and pressed her face against his cheek so he could hear her.

“Home… Get them… home.”

At that, she closed her eyes once more as her face completed paled. Max gently laid her head back down when she wasn’t responding.

“No, no, no. No, no, no.”

“She’s exsanguinated,” Melita said. “Drained all her blood.”

Taking a long thin tube from his shoulder patch, Max handed it to Dag as he prepared for a blood transfusion. He told Dag to hold up her end of the tube while he pushed in a needle inside it, then did the same to the opposite end.

“Come on,” Melita whispered to Furiosa, gently shaking her.

“Keep her awake,” Max told them.

Capable, Toast, and Cheedo leant forward and whispered Furiosa’s name in hopes of waking her up. Loner bit her lip as it quivered at the sight. She let go of her shoulder to caress her fingers against Furiosa’s cheek, murmuring her name as well. Max stuck one end of the needle into his arm and had Melita put pressure on it. Slowly but surely, his blood began to flow through the tube. He told Dag to hold up her end before inserting it into Furiosa’s arm. He kept muttering to himself, apologizing to Furiosa for the pain. Once he got the transfusion going, he held her head up again.

His eyes searched for any sign of the blood returning to her face, along with any sign of life. The wives continued to cry for her, praying that she would open her eyes once more. Loner kept the pressure on the wound that allowed Furiosa to breathe, squeezing tightly. She smiled slightly at Max’s next words for Furiosa.

“Max,” he said. “My name is Max… Yeah. Mhmm… That’s my name.”

Loner let the silence fill the cabin of the Gigahorse for a while, just to see the redness return to Furiosa’s cheeks. When she saw Furiosa’s life return to her little by little, she finally opened her mouth.

“That’s it,” she smiled. “Come back to us, Furiosa. You’ve never heard me speak, right? You’re going to miss your chance if you don’t open your eyes.” She got choked up. Her eyes burned with tears, and her heart was singed. She admired Furiosa from the day she met her, even though she was greatly intimidating in the beginning. But she was also kind, brave, and the biggest badass she had ever met. Her voice cracked as she begged Furiosa to wake up.

“Please. Please, open your eyes. Please…”

It was still a long drive until they reached the Citadel. There was still plenty of time for Furiosa to revive. Loner couldn’t lose another person that she held dear to her. She had already lost two entire families, and a fellow friend. She may have gained one back, but the heartache she experienced was enough to leave a permanent hole in her chest. No matter what she tried, it would never go away.

* * *

The sun was shining brightly in the sky. The heat was beating down on them, and the sweat trickled down their faces. Furiosa’s motionless body was gaining colour, but she had not gained consciousness. It had been two hours since Max began the transfusion, and he began to look sickly as well. He remained awake and alert, however, since his sole focus was on reviving Furiosa.

A third person began to look pale as well, and it was Loner. She initially ignored her own well-being to stop Furiosa’s bleeding. Then when Furiosa gradually regained life in her body, Loner stitched up the wound that Max made, while Max stitched the other. Loner had done up wounds similar to Furiosa’s before, with her scavenger family. A nick or three from accidents, bullet grazes, nothing too serious. She gave Furiosa the utmost care she could give while injured herself. Then she put pressure on her own wounds once more.

Loner gingerly pressed her fingers against Furiosa’s neck, and waited to feel a pulse. One beat a minute would be better than nothing. She kept them there for ten minutes, silently, waiting. The tears stopped well over an hour before. She needed to save them for later, when Furiosa finally woke up again. She hung her head and closed her eyes.

And it looked like the flood gates would open once more.

After the glimmer of hope seemed lost once two hours passed since Max stuck that needle into Furiosa’s arm, Loner’s neck snapped up sharply. She sniffled and wiped her nose with her arm before fixing the pressure of her fingers on Furiosa’s skin. Two seconds later, she felt a steady pulse.

“She’s–“ Loner gulped. “She’s got a pulse!”

A moment later, Furiosa’s chest began to rise and fall faintly. Loner smiled widely, and caressed Furiosa’s cheek once more.

“Furiosa?” she asked, excitement in her voice. “Furiosa…”

Dag, Capable, Toast, and Cheedo leant forward again after taking the time to rest. Their hearts soared when they saw what Loner did. They whispered amongst one another and begged Furiosa to come back to them. Max smiled, but did not say a word. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. If he couldn’t fix something that was broken, he would go insane. So if Furiosa didn’t open her eyes in the next few minutes, he would completely lose his mind.

“You can do it,” Loner encouraged her. “Open your eyes, Furiosa. We’re waiting for you. The people are waiting for you.”

With a raspy breath, Furiosa coughed and wheezed before ultimately opening her eyes. The wives cried with joy, and Melita and Gillian shared a grateful glance with each other. Max smiled once more as well, and welcomed her back to the world.

“Hey,” he said.

Furiosa couldn’t find the strength in her to speak quite yet. So she gave him a quick smile before examining her surroundings. The wives gazed at her cheerfully as more tears spilled from their eyes. She moved her fingers and toes to regain feeling in them, and took steady, deep breaths.

“He told us his name,” Dag said to her. Furiosa turned her head at Dag, who was grinning from ear to ear. Then she turned back to Max.

“Tell her what it was,” Dag said to him. “Say it.”

Loner beamed when Max seemed embarrassed by the request. She nodded his head at him, encouraging him to just say it once more so Furiosa would know who it was that saved her life.

“My name is Max,” he said quietly. Furiosa chuckled in response.

“I still like the sound of ‘fool’,” she slurred. Everyone laughed in the cabin, even Max.

“It pales in comparison,” he replied. “And speaking of–“ he paused to point at Loner “–you’re next.”

Loner simply saluted him and didn’t make a fuss. She lost a substantial amount of blood as well, and did not want to drain Max of his own. Not when he had been treating Furiosa for over two hours. She was still conscious after all that time, so it was not that serious. She could, and would, wait for Max to recover before shutting him down. She could already feel her blood cells multiplying, so there was no need for him to give more of his blood away.

Waiting until Furiosa was well enough to sit up on her own, Loner finally relented and let Max come forward. But before he could insert the needle into her arm, Loner held up her hand.

“Just stitch me up,” she said. He opened his mouth to protest, but she quickly shut him up again. “Really, Max. I’m okay. Just do it.”

She coughed, her throat dry from the scorching heat. Max frowned at her, but was not about to make an argument about it. Loner was alive and breathing; that was all that mattered. He took out the needle from his arm and let the blood drain before wrapping it up and attaching it back to his shoulder patch. Loner unwrapped her pant leg from her shoulder and folded it on her lap. Max took the needle and thread and sat in front of Loner as he got to work. She winced when Max began stitching her up, but remained quiet.

The other wives made conversation with Furiosa while Max was treating Loner. She didn’t say much, like she used to, but she just wanted to see Furiosa speak to the other girls. And to see her smile. She closed her eyes and rested until Max was finished.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, flicking his eyes up towards her. Loner tiredly opened her eyes and grunted, signalling she didn’t hear what he said. He cleared his throat and shifted around before repeating himself.

“I’m sorry. For, um… for what happened.”

Loner’s gaze softened when he apologized. She spared him a simple smile and shook her head.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she said sorrowfully. “We were outmatched. Got unlucky. It’s in the past.”

Max nodded his head, but his heart was still filled with guilt and regret. He thought about what he could have done different back then, because he knew that even the smallest alternative could turn a situation around. He may have killed a few enemies, but it wasn’t enough to save them all. Six dead and one captured. It wasn’t a win. Not even in the slightest.

“You two know each other?” Dag abruptly asked after watching them speak quietly. Loner glanced at her and nodded.

“He came along when I was still with my family,” she explained. “My blood family got butchered when I was a girl. Scavengers found me sometime later and I was with them ever since. When Max showed up, my first instinct was to shoot him in the face.” She paused to chuckle at the memory. “But he wasn’t a threat. He was… useful.”

Max raised an unamused brow at her. It made her smile wide.

“You were, though,” she defended. “But also kind and trustworthy and pleasant. His hair used to be down to his shoulders and he had the longest beard. He looked like a caveman.” The other wives laughed with her while Max just rolled his eyes. Even Furiosa got a chuckle in.

“So what happened?” Capable asked. “Didn’t you recognize him when he tried to kill us?”

“No, I didn’t,” Loner sighed, remembering exactly what happened. “The Citadel came, and they took. Looter, Scabbers, Leaf, Feta, Venus, and little Glory. Killed them all, knocked me out good, and brought me back to be a wife. Left Max for dead. I didn’t remember anything. Only my time as a child, before my scavenger family. It wasn’t until I was getting punched in the face back there that I got my memories back.”

Loner stared at the floor solemnly. Thinking about what happened never failed to slump her shoulders and make her frown. It was nobody’s fault, but she missed them all terribly. Max bit the end of the thread and tied it up, watching her carefully. Her explanation seemed to end the conversation there, and he decided to keep it that way. He moved his hands over to fix up Loner’s second entry wound.

“And what about you, Max?” Cheedo asked. He didn’t stop threading the needle. “Didn’t you know that it was Loner with us all this time?”

“No,” comes his quiet reply. “I had my suspicions, but–“ he shook his head–“I gave up on hope a long time ago.”

Loner was red-eyed and lachrymose. She had not known Max for long, but when she first met him she wondered what he had gone through before coming upon her and her family. The hardships he had faced, the people that he had lost; she never asked anyone in the Wasteland their story, because they were all remotely similar. She had lived long enough and seen horrors beyond imagination that by one look in someone’s eyes, she could tell the hell they had gone through.

That was the case with Max.

When Loner got a closer look at him, his eyes were strident, tremulous, and withering. He was older than her, which only meant the agony and suffering he endured increased five fold in Loner’s mind. He had some rough years, but when he was with her and her family, Loner saw a slight change in him. His smile—though small—warmed her heart. His laugh, even more so. But hearing him voice his doubts and insecurities and his view on the world shattered Loner’s heart. Max deserved the world, but the world didn’t deserve him.

Max finished stitching up Loner’s shoulder and used Loner’s mask as a new bandage to wrap around it. He tied it up night and tight, then sat back to relax. Loner gave him a smile in thanks and he nodded his head.

“We’re thirty minutes out!” Gillian announced to everyone.

Everyone was exhausted, beat-down, and traumatized. They were desperate to get home, and to heal from their pain and suffering. It was going to be an even longer road to recovery, but they were all on it. Including Max. Which made Loner think. She had just gotten Max back and did not want to lose him to the Wasteland again. Determined, she turned towards him with a racing heart.

“Stay with us,” she suggested. Max perked up at the sound of her voice and glanced up at her. They locked eyes with each other. “Don’t go back out there. There’s no need to. The Wasteland has nothing to offer you. With us, at least… you’ll have a home.”

Max blinked in surprise. He looked from Loner to the other wives in confusion. He began shaking his head and he furrowed his brows in thought. All his life he had been traveling alone, wandering into different civilizations, his experiences leaving him damaged and broken. He was being offered the chance to live a relatively normal life, away from danger and the threat of being killed or used to any party’s advantage. It sounded nice in theory, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to sit around and do nothing with his life.

“I can make my own way,” came his reply. He looked down at his hands timidly. Dissatisfied with his answer, Loner bit her lip and wrung her hands.

“I hate to do this,” she sighed, feeling defeated, “but I need to do what I can to make you understand, Max.” She paused, waiting for him to look back at her. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

Max stilled at her confession. While it was true for him as well that he did not want to lose her all over again, he didn’t know if he could stand to stay. Not because of the company, but because of the way of life he built for himself. He would wander through the desert, live on the scraps and small animals he could find, search and beg for water, and escape from his enemies. He had been doing it for so long that he did not know anything else. But he was offered the chance to change all that and have a real place to call home with people that did not want to kill him or use him.

It seemed too good to be true.

The pain and tears in Loner’s eyes was like an arrow to Max’s heart. If he could, he would have her come with him, but he knew that she did not want to leave her newfound family. He didn’t want to rob her of the chance to settle down and try to live a less life-threatening life. Granted he wanted the same thing for himself, but it was ingrained too deep in his bones to give it all up. He was made to run on adrenaline and his flight-or-fight response. Leaving that all behind would do more harm than good.

Still…

For Loner’s sake, he would compromise.

“One night,” he finally said after much deliberation. “One night and then—“

“One week,” Loner countered. Max frowned. “You want to see us get better, don’t you? Furiosa will be weak and needs to heal if she is going to be our new leader. She’ll need help, no matter how much she says she doesn’t. And I’m not letting you go that fast. One week, and then you can… go on your way.”

Loner regrettably let that last part slip. She didn’t want Max to leave, not when she could have some part of her old life back. But she feared that no matter how much she pleaded and begged, Max would not stay. And she would have to try and find a way to live with that. So, she was going to make Max’s week the best days he’d ever have.

Max nodded, accepting Loner’s condition. She smiled at him, but inside, she was already dreading his departure.

* * *

When the Citadel was in their sights, Gillian killed the engine briefly so they could all make a statement and a revelation to the people. Together, they dragged Immortan Joe’s body onto the steaming engine of the Gigahorse and covered his body with Dag’s cloth. Max then took his spot in the driver’s seat and drove everyone back to the Citadel himself.

The Wretched parted so Max could drive through the crowd and towards the lift that would bring them back up to safety. But as Max pulled up, the man on the lift halted the descent and demanded Max reveal himself. Slowly, Max opened the driver door and climbed onto the engine with his hands up. He bent down, grabbed the bottom of the cloth, and pulled it away to reveal Immortan Joe’s dead, lifeless body. The crowd gasped in surprise, and relief.

“The Immortan Joe is dead!”

Max roughly pushed the dictator’s body off the Gigahorse into the sand. The Wretched cheered and rushed towards the cadaver, and ripped his body apart. The War Pups stared on, dumbfounded and confused about what they were supposed to do next. They turned to Corpus Colossus, but he had no answer for them. One by one, the wives exited the cabin of the Gigahorse and stood proud and tall for all of them to see. Max helped Furiosa stand with him on the engine, holding onto her arm. Melita joined the girls.

The crowd began chanting Furiosa’s name upon seeing her, and begged the men above to let them up.

“Let them up! Let them up! Let them up!”

The men didn’t budge. The War Pups however, made the decision on their own. They pulled the lever, and the lift began its descent towards the ground. Gillian drove the Gigahorse onto the lift, and the Wretched climbed up to join them. While the wives helped them aboard, the Milking Mothers turned on the water pumps, letting the water flow freely to the Wretched’s thirsting mouths.

Together, the wives, Furiosa, Max, Gillian, and Melita gazed at the crowd as a new era of civilization began, with Furiosa at the forefront. Loner clung to Max, making sure he wouldn’t make a last minute dive off the lift and disappear into the throng of people. But he stayed put, just like he promised. Until the time came when he would ultimately wander out into the desert once more.

At last, after barreling through the darkest tunnel and fighting off every obstacle imaginable, the citizens of the Citadel were free.

**Author's Note:**

> I used the people from Max's memories as inspiration for the family of scavengers. You can see them at the beginning of Fury Road when he has periodic flashbacks as he's running away from the War Boys.


End file.
